Why we count:  The annual Point-In-Time Homeless Count is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the local Continuum of Care (CoC) funding process, which brought more than $23 million to our area in the FY 2-014 application process.  This funding provides permanent housing, Transitional Housing, supportive services, and planning funds to our community to assist homeless persons with greater self-determination.

A New, Enhanced Count!  To support our community’s continued success in housing  our homeless neighbors, the methodology has been expanded for the 2016 Point-In-Time Homeless County & Survey.  This year, volunteers will conduct surveys with individuals in addition to the visual count.  Also, as opposed to a single night, the Count & Survey will take place over three days; and as opposed to taking place in the evening, the 2016 Count & Survey will be held during the morning and daytime hours.  Teams will meet at 6:00 AM and will go out and to Count & Survey at 7:00 AM.  Teams will canvass until their areas are complete.

What is still the same?

• The area of Houston, Harris County and Fort Bend County will still be divided into different Staging Areas, with highly trained Captains and Co-Captains assigned to manage each staging area.
• There will be at least four people per team
• The Coalition will still provide volunteers with all the tools they need to participate in the Count & Survey.
• The Coalition will still hold a mandatory volunteer orientation in January to train volunteers on how to participate in the Count & Survey.
• All volunteers will still receive a free Count & Survey t-shirt.

What has changed?

• This year’s Count & Survey will be held over 3 days (instead of just one), and will be conducted during the day (instead of the evening).
• This year, all volunteers will be asked to conduct brief, conversational surveys with individuals who are seen on the street to further assess their homeless status, and what their housing needs are.
• If an individual is identified as a Veteran, chronically homeless individual, or a youth/young adult, they will be offered an on-the-spot assessment got permanent housing by a trained Coordinated Access Housing Assessor.

The January 27th Count will take place outside of the 610 Loop, west of Hardy Toll Road and Highway 288; and all of Fort Bend County

To volunteer or receive additional information please contact Ana Rausch with the Coalition for the Homeless at [email protected] or 832-531-6005.