ANN ARBOR, MI – The Washtenaw County Continuum of Care is looking for about 50 to 60 volunteers to help with the 2017 homeless point-in-time count for the Ann Arbor area, from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 26.
Volunteers will canvass the streets in an attempt to count every unsheltered homeless person in Washtenaw County.
The local count, part of a federally mandated national count, is intended to provide a snapshot of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness throughout Washtenaw County at one point in time, giving a headcount that will help track progress on efforts to end homelessness.
A poster from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the upcoming 2017 homeless point-in-time count.“Because of our system-wide efforts, we saw a 49% decrease in the number of people who were unsheltered in Washtenaw County between the 2015 and 2016 PIT counts,” Amanda Carlisle, Washtenaw Housing Alliance executive director, said in a statement. “We hope to see similar progress with our 2017 count.”
Volunteers for the point-in-time count must participate in a webinar training during the week of Jan. 16. Assignments will be given after the training, with less experienced volunteers partnered with more experienced volunteers.
Previous count volunteers or anyone having worked with homeless individuals are strongly encouraged to volunteer.
Volunteers should be comfortable walking long distances and being in cold weather, and are advised to wear appropriate cold-weather clothing. They also will be asked if they are willing to drive a volunteer team.
“When volunteers and staff head out to conduct the count in a few weeks, they will be collecting information to help us more effectively respond to the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness in our community,” said Andrea Plevek, director of the county’s Office of Community and Economic Development.
“Over the past two years, our community has produced incredible housing outcomes for veterans and people experiencing chronic homelessness. The upcoming PIT count is a tool that supports our efforts to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring in Washtenaw County.”
A community debrief to go over the count results and next steps is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, at Washtenaw Community College’s Morris Lawrence Building, 4800 E. Huron River Drive. The discussion is expected to include information about ways to help people experiencing homelessness.
Volunteers and representatives from partner agencies will be in attendance. The event is free and open to the public.
Additionally, the Washtenaw Housing Alliance, a coalition of community partners dedicated to ending homelessness locally, is accepting monetary donations to purchase cold-weather accessories such as hats, gloves, socks and hand warmers, as well as backpacks with lunches, hygiene products and coffee gift cards for people experiencing homelessness.
To make a tax-deductible donation to WHA, visit www.whalliance.org/donate or contact Heather Nash at nashh@ewashtenaw.org or 734-222-6544.
The Washtenaw County Continuum of Care coordinates community-based policies, strategies and activities to end homelessness. To learn more about it and find out ways to participate, visit www.ewashtenaw.org/CoC.
http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2016/12/50-60_volunteers_needed_for_an.html
LOL!!!!!!!!!!
ILL GO!!!!
IM BORED!
HEY JILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ann Arbor? That’s a college town. Why don’t they do their count in Detroit? Are they planning to base nationwide numbers on this survey?
“Because of our system-wide efforts, we saw a 49% decrease in the number of people who were unsheltered in Washtenaw County between the 2015 and 2016 PIT counts,”
What did you do, kill ’em?
I partied in Ann Arbor once when I was living in MI after returning from Canada. They (and Lansing, if I remember correctly) were the first in the country to (almost) legalize pot. It was all of a $5 fine back then (’72).