Wanted: People who don't mind camping in a cardboard box.

Members of the South Central Idaho Housing Council are looking for volunteers to spend a night in Twin Falls City Park as part of an event aimed at drawing attention to the area's homeless.

The overnight stay will be timed with the area's annual homeless count, performed at the end of January by service agencies to provide data to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The count provides information to HUD about target populations for its grants and quality control for the programs it funds, including through the South Central Community Action Part-nership.

Last year, Community Action, the Salvation Army and other groups dropped their previous method - a city-wide search - in favor of providing lunch, haircuts and other services at the Salvation Army's gymnasium. This year's count will follow the same idea, but feature a hot evening meal served at the parish hall of St. Edward's Catholic Church, adjacent to the park.

The housing council will provide winter clothing, blankets, personal-care items and other resources to homeless individuals and families who show up, said Leanne Trappen, council chairwoman and community services director for Community Action. In addition, they and the other groups will pass out surveys asking how people ended up homeless, what issues they face and other topics.

Trappen said the council got the overnight camping idea from a homeless shelter in Pocatello that did the same sort of thing last year. Council members are hoping the event will showcase the need for more programs aimed at preventing homelessness.

One example of those, she said, is paying to keep people in their houses for the month or two it can take to get their finances under control. The leading cause of homelessness in the area is high medical bills, she said. Recovering from losing one's home because of those can be more expensive than getting financial assistance to stay, both to the individual and to taxpayers.

"If we pay their rent and utilities for two months, keep them in their home, they will be able to get back on their feet," Trappen said.

Organizers will try to capture a better snapshot of the city's homeless population than last year, when snowstorms and other factors kept a decent number of the latter away. Trappen said "homeless" can include both people on the street and those bunked with friends because they lost their own place.

Though it's sure to be cold that night, Trappen said volunteers will get training on how to avoid hypothermia and that the Pocatello group was able to remain warm even in a snowstorm. She said at least five people have signed up for the night so far, and she's looking for more.

"We can create a little community there on the corner," she said.

Nate Poppino may be reached at 208-735-3237 or npoppino@magicvalley.com.

Help out The South Central Idaho Housing Council is looking for these donations: hats, gloves, coats, sleeping bags and boots. It's also looking for volunteers to help prepare for or participate in the Jan. 30 campout in City Park. Information: Deborah Gabardi, 733-0100; Julie Mahler, 733-1712 or Leanne Trappen, 733-9351. Checks can be made to: SCCAP/Housing Council, P.O. Box 531, Twin Falls, ID 83303-0531.