In the USA, the United_States_Department_of_Housing_and_Urban_Development (HUD) agency requires a homeless "enumeration" or count every two years. They classify "homeless" in a careful way and that way is very influential and a lot of other agencies and church groups copy it. In Metro Vancouver homeless people are counted by the British Columbia (B.C.) Non-Profit Housing Society which conducts the homeless count with the help of about 1,200 volunteers.