Hundreds of volunteers throughout the Valley woke up early Tuesday to participate in the annual “Point in Time Homeless Street Count.”

The goal is to provide a snapshot of the number of homeless on the streets. But this year, the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), which coordinates the count, is doing something different.

For the first time, MAG is going to track people 62 and older.

Anne Scott is with MAG. She said they’ve been hearing from emergency shelters and some service providers that more older adults are accessing services.

“They’re also staying for longer period of time," Scott said. "They don’t seem to have other places to go and the resources to resolve homelessness.”

Scott said the information from the count will go to HUD, the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD wants to know what they’re seeing on the ground, including instances of serious mental illness, substances abuse and long term health care needs.

The goal is tailor resources to help people who are accessing services.