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GREENSBORO — On Wednesday, a man who would only give his name as J. stood along Battleground Avenue holding a sign: "Homeless. Please Help Me. God Bless You." A smiley face punctuated the plea.

Across town, at Randleman Road and West Preddy Boulevard, Sheree Williams, 53, huddled against an intermittent cold drizzle, sitting on a blue crate. She, too, held a makeshift sign asking for help. The night before, she had curled up in a nearby truck to sleep because she couldn't afford the $30 for a hotel room.

"This is usually where I come," said Williams, who said her life went downhill six years ago when her son was slain. She has lost touch with her oldest son and has no relatives nearby.

About 60 community volunteers and police officers combed Guilford County on Wednesday to find people such as J. and Williams. The annual census of the homeless took volunteers to shelters, day centers, churches, and to street corners, abandoned buildings and wooded lots.

This "point-in-time" count is used to secure state and federal funding to help the homeless, said Shanna Reece, chairwoman of the Homeless Prevention Coalition of Guilford County.

The money is used for housing needs, such as creating transitional housing and paying for federally subsidized housing vouchers. It also helps agencies find people who need services and figure out where there are gaps in services, Reece said.

The final tally likely won't be finished for about two weeks, she said.

Last year, there were 981 homeless counted, compared with 1,269 the year before.

Officials expect the numbers will increase this year because of the troubled economy.

Early signs pointed to an increasing number of homeless when shelters filled up over the summer, a time when typically they have open spaces. Additional winter emergency sites were formed in partnership with several area churches to create almost 100 additional spots. Still, emergency shelters at Greensboro Urban Ministry and the Salvation Army's Center of Hope have been full this winter, officials have said.

Volunteers started their counts at those shelters. They spent the late morning and early afternoon surveying the homeless who gather at street corners and along highway ramps. In the evening, the volunteers turned their attention to bridges and camps in wooded lots where people seek shelter overnight.

Lorenzo Torres, 32, Kendra Britto, 21, and Trisha Waters, 25, - all volunteers with Americorps - stood alongside Randleman Road and West Preddy Boulevard as they spoke to three people they found standing there.

"We're just trying to help all we can right now," Torres told one man before starting the survey. Questions range from "Where did you sleep last night?" to whether the person is receiving services for mental health or drug addiction. No names are taken, but surveyors request initials and a date of birth to prevent duplication.

Most people were willing to answer questions, but some declined. A woman living in a warehouse on North English Street told Waters she was offended by the questions.

"I said, 'I'll stop. I'm not trying to offend you,'" Waters said.

Volunteers handed out pamphlets with information on where to find housing, food and where to get help. They also gave out snacks and, in the evening, blankets.

Torres, who spent both the afternoon and evening searching for the homeless, knows what it's like to be without a place to live. He spent a couple of months living out of an RV when he was 12 after he moved from Los Angeles to Mayodan with his mother.

"It's embarrassing to admit you're homeless," he said. "It hurts your pride."

Contact Jennifer Fernandez at 373-7064 or jennifer.fernandez@news-record.com