The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (CFTH) is seeking volunteers to assist in a countywide “Point in Time” count of the unsheltered homeless on 3 days: Tuesday, January 18th, (pilot count), Monday, January 24th, and Monday, January 31st, 2011.
To volunteer fill out the form HERE and return it to vjohnson@homelesshouston.org.
The count is part of a nationwide initiative of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to assess the extent and characteristics of homelessness across the country.
Organizers also welcome any information from community members to identify locations where homeless individuals may have been observed or are believed to be living. Information given will be kept confidential within the Coalition for the survey activities only. Please contact Coalition for the Homeless staff, Vera Johnson, at 832-531-6005, or vjohnson@homelesshouston.org.
Since 1993, this will be the eighth such survey conducted in Harris and Fort Bend Counties. The Point in Time count serves as the primary source of data locally and nationally to understand homelessness trends and to track progress on efforts to prevent and end homelessness for all communities. Therefore, it is extremely important to have a complete and accurate count. The homeless count’s lead researcher is Dr. Cathy Troisi, with consultation from Dr. Ritalinda D’ Andrea.
During the course of the count, efforts are taken by the enumeration teams to reach out to homeless men, women, youth, and families and provide links to services and to immediate shelter. In addition to the unsheltered homeless count, the Coalition will conduct a count of those who are homeless but sheltered on the same day. This will provide a more complete picture of homelessness in Harris and Fort Bend Counties and provide information to design services and programs to combat homelessness at all levels.The success of this count depends on identifying those locations where individuals are known to live and/or congregate.
Donations for the homeless count are greatly needed. Items such as bottled water, blankets, socks, and canned goods (with pop-up lids) are appreciated. To make a donation, please contact Alma Duldulao-Ybarra, at 832-531-6001, aybarra@homelesshouston.org.
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