From: Peter Ansara <peter.ansara@piercecountywa.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2018 9:24 AM
To: Peter Ansara <peter.ansara@piercecountywa.gov>
Subject: Point in Time Count

Dear Friends:

How many people are currently homeless in Pierce County? How many of them are families, youth, or veterans? How many are disabled? The answers to these questions and more are answered by the Pierce County point-in-time counts. A point-in-time count is an unduplicated count on a single night of the people in a community who are experiencing homelessness that includes both sheltered and unsheltered populations.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that communities receiving federal funds from the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program conduct a count of all sheltered people in the last week of January annually. Electronic administrative records are used to enumerate people living in emergency shelters and transitional housing. Unsheltered counts are required every other year, although most communities conduct an unsheltered count annually. In unsheltered counting efforts, outreach workers and volunteers are organized to canvas Continuums of Care to enumerate the people who appear to be living in places not meant for human habitation.

During the point-in-time count, Pierce County is required to identify whether a person is an individual, a member of a family unit, or an unaccompanied youth under the age of 18 or age 18 to 24. In addition, we must identify if a person is chronically homeless, indicating long-time or repeated homelessness and the presence of a disability.

Within Pierce County’s 1806 square mile boundaries, the task of counting individuals can be daunting. We need your help. Pierce County is looking for volunteers for the 2019 Point-In-Time Count on Friday, January 25th, 2019. To be a volunteer, see links below.

Pierce County is looking for volunteers for the 2019 Point-In-Time Count on Friday, January 25th, 2019! 

Volunteers will be stationed at meal sites, day shelters, events such as Project Homeless Connect, and DSHS offices throughout Pierce County and will complete surveys of people experiencing homelessness.  

Point-In-Time Count Volunteers:

• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must attend a Point in Time Count Training
• Search for unsheltered homeless within designated locations
• Survey individuals experiencing homelessness using a mobile app
• Provide individuals who have been surveyed with incentives as available
• At least one member on the team must have access to a smart phone, tablet, or laptop with wi-fi.  

To volunteer, click here. For more information, visit https://www.piercecountywa.gov/4719/Point-In-Time-Count-PIT. Please feel free to share with others.

Thank you,

Peter J. Ansara | Director | Pierce County Human Services

1305 Tacoma Ave S, Suite 104 |Tacoma, WA 98402

(P) 253.798.4480 |(F) 253.798.2818

PLEASE NOTE: Pierce County has changed its email address. My NEW email address is Peter.Ansara@piercecountywa.gov. Please update your address books and email lists accordingly to ensure your emails are delivered.