Homeless is
not a noun. It is an adjective describing a temporary condition that people
fall into when they can’t afford to pay a place
to live, or when their current home is unsafe or unstable. Job loss, physical
and mental disability, various hardships—including personal and drug addiction
can accelerate people’s slide into poverty-- and for some, eventual
homelessness.
A homeless person is an individual without permanent
housing who may live on the streets; stay in a shelter, mission, single room
occupancy facilities, abandoned building or vehicle; or in any other unstable
or non-permanent situation.
Being homeless does not define a person. The lack of housing, access to healthcare and supportive services, then
act as others barriers that keep individuals from moving into “homefullnesss.”
What the Point of the Point-In-Time
Count?
Discovering how many people are currently homeless in Pierce County…how many of them are families, youth or veterans…how many are disabled…The answers to these questions and more are answered by the Pierce County Point-In-Time (PIT) counts. A PIT count is an unduplicated count on a single night of the people in a community who are experiencing homelessness-- that includes both sheltered and unsheltered populations.
Discovering how many people are currently homeless in Pierce County…how many of them are families, youth or veterans…how many are disabled…The answers to these questions and more are answered by the Pierce County Point-In-Time (PIT) counts. A PIT count is an unduplicated count on a single night of the people in a community who are experiencing homelessness-- that includes both sheltered and unsheltered populations.
The U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that communities
receiving federal funds from the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants
program conduct a count of all sheltered people in the last week of January
annually. Electronic administrative records are used to enumerate people living
in emergency shelters and transitional housing. Unsheltered counts are required
every other year, although most communities conduct an unsheltered count
annually.
In
unsheltered counting efforts, outreach workers and volunteers are organized to
canvas Continuums of Care to enumerate the people who appear to be living in
places not meant for human habitation. During the point-in-time count, Pierce
County is required to identify whether a person is an individual, a member of a
family unit, or an unaccompanied youth under the age of 18 or age 18 to
24. In addition, we must identify if a person is chronically homeless,
indicating long-time or repeated homelessness and the presence of a disability.
An Eye-Opening Volunteer Experience:
Friday, January 26, 2018
Within
Pierce County’s 1806 square mile boundaries, the task of counting can
individuals can be daunting. Pierce County is looking for volunteers for the
2018 Point-In-Time Count on Friday, January 26th, 2018.The U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Washington State Department of
Commerce require communities to conduct a one-day Point-In-Time (PIT) Count to
survey individuals experiencing homelessness.
“Homelessness is a community issue.
Morally and socially, we are all affected. I look forward to seeing you at this
year’s PIT Count. This is such important work and your efforts will be greatly
appreciated,” said, Dona Ponepinto, President & CEO, United Way of Pierce
County.
Volunteers
will be stationed at meal sites, day shelters, events such as Project Homeless
Connect, and Department of Social and Health Services offices throughout Pierce County and will complete surveys of
people experiencing homelessness.
Donations
are given to anyone who is experiencing homelessness on the night of the PIT,
and provides a starting point for the conversation to complete the survey.
Items
Needed:Hats, Gloves, Scarves, Socks, Hygiene
Kits: Shampoos, Conditioners, Soaps, Razors and Feminine Products, First
Aid Kits, Blankets, Warm
Winter Jackets and Packaged,
easy to carry food: Granola Bars, Bottled Water, etc. For donation drop-off locations email pcpointintimecount@co.pierce.wa.us
PIT Count Volunteer Criteria: Must
be at least 18 years of age; Must
attend a Point-in-Time Count Training; Search
for unsheltered homeless within designated locations; Survey
individuals experiencing homelessness using a mobile app; Provide
individuals who have been surveyed with incentives as available and; At
least one member on the team must have access to a smart phone, tablet, or
laptop with Wi-Fi.
To sign up
visit: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4003615/2018-Point-In-Time-Count-Training-Registration
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