On a brutally frigid January night, a posse of volunteers spread out across Chester County, searching for residents in need of appropriate shelter.
The effort, part of a national initiative called the Point in Time Count, found that 615 people were experiencing homelessness in the county on the night of Jan. 28 and early morning of Jan. 29, according to a report compiled by the Chester County Department of Community Development.
The annual Point in Time Count, which is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, helps to determine the extent of homelessness throughout the country. The definition of homeless includes individuals and families who are residing in emergency shelters and transitional living facilities, as well as unsheltered individuals on the street or in places not fit for sleeping.
Within Chester County, the Point in Time Count is one component of understanding homelessness. It is also part of a proactive strategy called “Decade to Doorways: The Community’s Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness in Chester County.“
Michael Hackman, the Decade to Doorways administrator, said numbers for this year’s Point in Time Count declined from last year, suggesting that the Decade to Doorways strategy is having a positive impact, especially ConnectPoints, Chester County’s homeless coordinated assessment system.
“Having ConnectPoints - a ‘single point of entry’ for individuals and families seeking emergency shelter and other homeless prevention services - has helped us tremendously over the past year,” said Hackman.
Previously, individuals seeking shelter and other services had to make multiple phone calls to determine what was available in the county. Now, a single call to 1-800-935-3181 provides an overview of housing resources, such as which shelters have beds available, etc.
In Chester County on the night of the Point in Time Count, 15 persons were found without shelter, 233 were residing in emergency shelters and 367 were in transitional shelters. Of the individuals who were sheltered, 17 percent were under the age of 18, 56 percent were between the ages of 18 and 54, and 27 percent were age 55 and older.
The communities where the 15 unsheltered individuals were counted included West Chester (seven individuals), Exton (five), and Kennett Square, Phoenixville and Devon (one in each location), Hackman said.
In 2014, the count identified 684 people as homeless, which represented an increase from 2013. Thirty-nine people were found without shelter, 237 were located in emergency shelters, and 345 in transitional shelters. The communities where the 39 unsheltered individuals were counted included 20 in West Chester, 11 in Kennett Square, five in Phoenixville, two in the Coatesville/Downingtown area and one in the Paoli/Malvern area.
In 2015, 92 percent of total available beds in emergency shelters were occupied during the Point in Time Count in 2015, compared with 85 percent occupancy in 2014, said Hackman. “This increase in percentage of occupancy is a result of the efficiencies of the ConnectPoints system, and not a reflection on an increase in the number of homeless,” he added.
Hackman said the Point in Time Count plays a vital role in helping Chester County assess the level of homeless services needed on a given night. “It also provides a baseline for measuring the resources that we need throughout the year, and is instrumental in determining the congressional homeless funding that we receive,” he said.
This year, 88 volunteers from government, educational and civic organizations took part in the Chester County count, divided into 17 teams that canvassed a geographical spread of the county.
A report on the Point in Time Count will be one element of a presentation made to Chester County Decade to Doorways partners and stakeholders at a community-networking meeting on Wednesday, March 18, at 3 p.m. at the Brandywine Center in Coatesville. This event will also reveal the 2014 homeless year-end data, and include an update on ConnectPoints.
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