Volunteers Needed for Point in Time Count
January is just around the corner, which means a New Year, Martin Luther King Jr Day, colder temperatures, and the promise of snow. But for many Philadelphians, it is a dangerous time of year. Colder temperatures are life threatening to people living on the streets. Winter initiatives include offering more beds in shelters, opening cafés in more regions of the city, and conducting a homelessness census.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Point in Time counts every person living in shelter or on the streets on a single night in January. The purpose of the measure is to give service providers, city officials, and federal agencies a glimpse of the current homeless population.
Last year, the Philadelphia Point in Time identified 361 unsheltered individuals (living on the street or staying in a café); 932 households with at least one adult and one child living in emergency or transitional housing; and another 2,739 individuals in shelter. According to HUD, homelessness has declined by 11percent since 2007, when data from the Point in Time count started being collected.
The Point in Time is the only national census of homeless people. Conducting a yearly count and collecting demographic information of homeless people reminds Congress and the public that the fight to end homelessness is still being waged.
Come January 21, 2015 Project HOME and the City of Philadelphia will be leading upwards of 200 volunteers through the city, counting and surveying people living on the street. Please consider joining this important effort as a volunteer.
If you have questions or want to get involved, please call Robin Hernandez at 215.232.7272 or email at [email protected]. More information will be available as we get closer to the count.
