Homeless count to exceed 2018 numbers
Point-in-time survey to finish this week; will include those living outdoors
A Point-in-time count of the area’s homeless population should be wrapped up this week and officials hope to have updated figures in the near future. Officials from a number of local organizations started the count last week.
The count is conducted annually around the beginning of the year, as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“One of the main reasons it’s done is because you need it in order to receive funding from HUD, but it also gives us a sort of snapshot of what the local homeless population looks like,” said Rick Millhollin, executive director of Hands of Hope. “For providers, local government
PLEASE RECYCLE NEWSPAPER AFTER READING and other community partners, we get data and see where there are gaps in services and the different demographics to try and see some of the reasons that are causing homelessness.”
“It’s a big help in making plans for the future and addressing current issues with our clients.”
In 2018, there were 320 people counted as homeless. Only those staying in local shelters were counted.
This year’s final numbers will exceed last year’s total because this count will include the homeless population living outdoors, which is done every other year. The last time counts were conducted both in shelters and outside was in 2017, when there were 760 people deemed to be experiencing homelessness in Yuba-sutter, according to Appeal-democrat archives.
Millhollin and his team conducted counts at both of the organization’s day centers – the Hands of Hope headquarters in Yuba City and the Life Building Center in Marysville.
Other organizations and agencies that helped with the count included law enforcement, code enforcement, hospital staff, schools, probation, behavioral health and other partner agencies that interact with the homeless population Calendar ............ Classifieds ......... Comics ............ Crossword ....... Dear Abby ........ Forum .............. Local ...........
on a regular basis. There was a total of six teams in each county that went out into the field to survey on Jan. 23.
“Our goal was to count everyone sheltered and to also reach out and identify folks that aren’t participating in local services. We wanted to get their info, their story, and determine if they are aware of how to access services. If they weren’t accessing services, we wanted to know why,” said Robert Herrick, an epidemiologist for Sutter County Public Health.
Some of the information the survey looked at includes demographics, where people stay and how long they’ve been there, how many times they’ve been homeless, where they were staying before becoming homeless, and whether or not they are receiving benefits. New to the questionnaire this year is whether or not the individual is experiencing homelessness due to disasters, like the recent Camp Fire in Butte County.
“It’s a way to paint a picture of the situation we are facing in the area, but also to see if things have changed since 2017,” Herrick said.
Herrick credited the many individuals who helped in the effort to gather information for the survey. He said the cooperation this year brought a lot of people with valuable expertise to the table.
“This has been a very good effort where everyone wanted to not only participate, but be very active in the entire process,” he said. “Everyone involved has been very good about what can be done and how to make things better.”
Once the data is collected, local officials will analyze it and report to HUD by April. Business hours: Monday-friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Main number .................... Steve Miller ......................
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