The newly-formed Greene County Homeless Coalition will conduct a “point in time” survey the evening of Feb. 6 to gather information needed to make the county eligible for federal homeless assistance funding.
Volunteers will fan out and visit places like parking lots, campgrounds, and laundromats where people may be living. Persons living in places that are not meant for human habitation will be counted.
In addition, volunteers will be at the school in Churdan, St Brigid Parish Center in Grand Junction, the Scranton Community Center and Central Christian Church in Jefferson to talk with people who identify themselves as being homeless. The Homeless Coalition wants to know their needs and help them find solutions. The centers will be open from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.
Results of the survey will help communities plan services and programs to address local needs, measure progress in decreasing homelessness, and identify strengths and gaps in a community’s current homelessness assistance program.
Information gathered will also help determine the dimensions of homelessness to help policymakers and program administrators track progress toward ending homelessness.
In other federal data collection, persons living in places other than their “expected” domicile are considered homeless. For example, a teen who has moved in with a friend’s family would be counted as being homeless. The “point in time” survey includes only persons living in places not meant for human habitation, such as a vehicle or abandoned building. That is the definition used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for funding through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance grant program.
