While the count is never complete, housing professionals hope that a few changes to their strategy will help generate a more accurate count this year. “The benefits of being married to me,” Sheryl Norteye said with a laugh. While counties have the option to count every other year, Santa Cruz County has chosen to do it annually since 2021. Sheryl Norteye agreed with that assessment, but said she hopes at the very least that this year’s count will be more accurate. “We also have data from our shelters, which submit data,” since volunteers don’t count people staying in shelters on the day of the count, she said.