Chester County is inviting the public to become part of the solution to end homelessness. Volunteers are being sought for the annual Point in Time Count, a one-night census of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in shelters or sleeping in places not meant for human habitation.
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, volunteers will walk the streets of West Chester, Kennett Square, Coatesville, Oxford, Phoenixville and other areas in small groups with flashlights and reflective vests, searching for the makeshift huts that typically signal the presence of someone without proper shelter. Assessing the scope of the problem will assist in remedying it, according to county officials.
Organizers stress that the goal is to count people, not to report them to authorities. Volunteers will be given food, blankets and other resources to distribute to those who want it. In past years, several of the homeless have availed themselves of the help and proceeded to reverse their fortunes.
This year’s count – a national effort sponsored by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to quantify the homeless problem – will occur in two shifts: 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. and 12:30 to 2:30 a.m.
Last year in Chester County, one of the most affluent counties in the nation, 684 people were identified without permanent, appropriate shelter. The 2013 figure was 625.
In 2012, similar numbers led to the launch of Decade to Doorways, an ambitious 10-year plan for getting people into permanent housing as quickly as possible and intervening before homelessness occurs. Studies have shown that focusing on permanency with appropriate supportive services is more cost-effective than keeping people in shelters.
For more information about the Point in Time Count, contact Gene Suski at 610-344-6900 or chescopit@gmail.com, or visit the event’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/chescopit. Anyone interested in volunteering should register online by Jan. 16 at www.decadetodoorways.org.
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