LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A homeless outreach specialist is working to create a more accurate picture of Lincoln’s homeless population.

Lincoln Public Schools homeless outreach specialist Bryan Seck worked with nearly 500 homeless families in the city last year. Seck says he will help substantially more families this year due to better outreach and collaboration of more than 50 agencies in the city, not necessarily because there are more homeless families in Lincoln.

The specialist, who began working with the district two years ago, says that most of the families that he works with are not homeless for very long. He says their state of homelessness is usually brought on by an unforeseen set of circumstances such as a car breaking down, which is exacerbated by a lack of savings.