A record number of volunteers took to Rock County streets overnight to find and count the homeless. One of the surprises of the night – a possible meth lab in downtown Janesville.
Event coordinator Marc Perry says volunteers encountered chemical bottles that appeared to be used in the "cooking" of meth, in addition to drug parephernalia and needles. Perry says they also found clothes neatly hidden and stacked under a box in the same location. "It kind of freaked me out a little bit, really," says 16 year-old volunteer Annie Showers-Curtis, herself formerly homeless. "It makes me sad . . . it gets to me."
During the street count, 21 homeless people were found in Rock County, most of them in Beloit. Perry says he is surprised teams only found "evidence" of homeless people in Janesville. The information gathered overnight helps provide federal funding for programs to help those counted.