City Of Houston Volunteer To Count The Homeless

[trymahjong]

Volunteer for the 2014 Homeless Count
Deadline to Register: Wednesday, January 15, 2014

How many people are homeless in Houston and who makes up this vulnerable population? How many are children? families? veterans? To help answer these questions, the City of Houston needs your help in supporting the annual Homeless Count conducted by the Coalition for the Homeless. Please participate in this important effort by volunteering for the Count!

The 2014 Homeless Count will take place on Thursday, January 23, 5:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m. and if needed, Thursday, January 30, 5:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m., as a contingency count date.  To register, simply fill out the registration form.  Deadline to register is Wednesday, January 15, 2014.

Once registered to volunteer, you will be assigned to one of the ten staging areas in Houston to count. On Thursday, January 16, 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m., required training will be available at all ten locations.  Assignments are based on your preference and the volunteer need.  To view the training staging areas, visit http://www.homelesshouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014-PIT-Staging-Area-List.pdf.

The annual Homeless Count is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the local Continuum of Care funding process which brought more than $23,000,000 to our community in the 2013 fiscal year.  The Homeless Count also helps measure the progress on ending homelessness in Houston and has documented a 28% decrease from January 2011 to January 2013.   

For information on how to participate in the Homeless Count, contact Gary Grier, Director of Community Engagement, Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County at ggrier@homelesshouston.org or call 832.531.6006.

 

 

To learn more about the Mayor's Homeless Inititiatives, contact Anna Pena in the Mayor's Citizens' Assistance Office at anna.pena@houstontx.gov or call 832.393.0955.

[IronTiger]

What exactly is "homeless"? Is it one without a permanent address, or one who has no money at all? Do they count couch-surfers with permanent jobs but no permanent living situation?