Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY— Salt Lake County's social service agencies and government entities assisting people living in homelessness estimated they would need 400 volunteers to conduct the Point-In-Time homeless count at the end of the month.
To date, 250 volunteers have enlisted for the project. Officials are not too concerned about the number — although they would love more help — but they said the work of volunteers is vital to complete an effective annual count of the number of people living in homelessness in Salt Lake County.
The national Point-in-Time count calls for local agencies and advocates to count the number of people living in homelessness in each census tract at the end of January. January is chosen nationally due to the higher number of people moving into shelters as opposed to staying outside.
Although many employees of social service agencies, along with policymakers, such as Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, will do some of the counting, volunteers are needed to ensure people living in every area of the county have been counted.
"(Volunteering in the count) helps you to have a better understanding of people living in homelessness," said Salt Lake County Associate Deputy Mayor Katherine Fife. "If you want to know more, if you're saying, 'I can do this,' we would appreciate your help. People are changed by this experience."
The Point-In-Time count will take place early in the mornings on Thursday, Jan. 30, Friday, Jan. 31, and Saturday, Feb. 1, from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. each day.
(Early times ensure that people can be contacted before leaving shelters and camps.)
Volunteers are needed statewide to join teams and connect with people experiencing homelessness. Before the count begins, virtual training sessions will be provided. These sessions will cover:
- How to use the survey app.
- Best practices for interviewing Utahns experiencing homelessness.
- Information about youth homelessness.
- Trauma-informed approaches.
If you are interested, please visit endutahhomelessness.org/point-in-time-count.
Information from Department of Workforce Services.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires each county in the country to participate in the Point-in-Time homeless count if the state would like to receive federal dollars for homelessness assistance. A count of as many people as possible who are sheltered and unsheltered in each census tract and county goes a long way toward getting funding to agencies and local governments that need it, the department says.
Despite the attempts to get an exact count, social service and government leaders know they will not get a complete number of everyone living in homelessness, but they try to be as accurate as possible. Volunteers count the people staying in local shelters and anyone living outside. Those staying on people's couches and those who do not want to be counted, who are more difficult to find, are not tallied in the count.
Volunteers are trained to do the work and can be of any age, with parental permission needed for anyone under 18. They work in teams to reach every person living in homelessness, asking them questions regarding their experience before and after their housing struggles, if they are willing and able to share.
The count does not solely provide an accurate number of people living in homelessness in Salt Lake County as its end goal. National, state and local policymakers use this number to determine future projects, advocacy needs, and shelter needs, as well as whether any trends exist.
Hence the need for volunteers, according to Wayne Niederhauser, Utah's State Homeless coordinator. Social service professionals can only reach as many people as their numbers can find. Volunteers help them reach further and allow for a gathering of more reliable numbers that can lead to needed funding to serve those living in homelessness.
Randy Shumway, chairman of the Utah Homeless Services Board, also said the count gives people living in homelessness an opportunity to use their voice and be recognized as members of each county. This is a form of dignity, he said in a release, that can get people toward stable housing.
Salt Lake County has created behavioral health assistance for people living in homelessness, has been a part of the discussions and implementation of shelters across the county and has provided other services. These programs have an impact, Wilson said, especially when looking at the number of people — 70% — who are no longer in shelters after 90 days.
It could not all be done — or funded — without volunteers.
"The Point-in-Time Count is really important. It doesn't tell us everything, but it tells us a lot," Fife said. "We welcome (the volunteers') generosity."
