Contact: Jackie Anderson,
Division Manager
JackieM.Anderson@snoco.org
425-388-3237
Point-in-Time
Homeless Count to take place Tuesday January 23
EVERETT, Wash., January 12, 2017—In
collaboration with human service providers and community volunteers, the
Snohomish County Department of Human Services is conducting the annual
Point-In-Time Homeless Count on Tuesday, January 23, 2018. The annual count is
an important tool in the community’s efforts to assess the number of homeless
individuals and families in Snohomish County, as well as to determine ways of
ending homelessness. The count covers people staying in emergency shelters,
transitional housing, and on the street or other places not meant for
habitation. Volunteers are needed for different parts of the County between
8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on January 23.
Human service providers,
County staff, and community volunteers will join together in this effort to
respectfully count the number of families and individuals who are homeless in
our community. The results of the count will help ensure that vital federal and
state funding continues to come into the community to fight homelessness. Data
from the annual count is also used to help understand how widespread
homelessness is in Snohomish County and who is most affected. The Point-In-Time
Count is only a count of some of those who are homeless at one particular time.
By itself, it is not a predictor of how many people will be homeless or receive
housing resources throughout the rest of the year, but when used along with
other data, can help paint a picture of the need and how well we as a community
are doing in efforts to address the problem of homelessness. Priorities for
state and national funding and planning for local programs and systems are
based on Point-in-Time data.
“Every person living on our
streets or in the woods deserves to be helped,” said Dave Somers, Snohomish
County Executive. “I encourage every person with compassion in their
heart to help with this important effort. With our skyrocketing housing costs,
some slip into homelessness simply because of illness or being unemployed.
Veterans, families, and our elderly deserve as much help as we can muster, and
the Point-In-Time Count will help us determine how best to serve our neighbors’
needs.”
During the 2017 count, 515
individuals in 447 households reported they were unsheltered. Another 551
persons in 385 households were without a permanent place to stay and were
temporarily housed in emergency shelter or transitional housing. There were 66
veterans, 313 chronically homeless individuals, and the age of homeless persons
ranged from 7 months to 76 years old.
Volunteers are asked to
commit to a three-hour period during the Jan. 23rd count. All training and
materials will be provided at the sites specified below. To volunteer or for
more information, please contact one of the area leads below:
Central County Whitney
Summers WhitneyS@ccsww.org
425-374-6331
North
County Alex
Lark
HousingHope.org for
volunteer opportunities
East
County Janos Kendall
JanoS@ttns.org
360-794-1022
South
County Nora
Karena
NKarena@YWCAWorks.org
425-774-9843
x236
Youth Claire
Petersen
Claire.Petersen@CocoonHouse.org
425-259-5802 x129
Emphasis on the Point in
Time Count began in 2006, with Snohomish County’s approval of the local
homeless plan that included strategies for ending homelessness. While
noteworthy progress has been made, there still remains a daunting effort ahead
to provide solutions for people experiencing and at imminent risk of
homelessness.
More information on the PIT
history and methodology may be found on the Human Services Point in Time Count
webpage: https://www.snohomishcountywa.gov/PointInTime.
For more detailed
information on the count, please contact Robin Hood at 425-388-7266.
The
Snohomish County Human Services Department helps all persons meet their
basic needs and develop their potential by providing timely, effective human
services and building community.