Boone, N.C. – Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, marks the annual Point-in-Time Count. The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, coordinated by the Northwest Continuum of Care (CoC), is the annual documentation of the extent of homelessness in our region, which includes Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties.
The information from the PIT Count provides a valuable snapshot of the state and extent of homelessness in our region and informs support service providers on the priorities to prevent and end homelessness. The Point in Time Count is a requirement of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, which currently supports the Northwest CoC member agencies with $289,952 in competitive grant funding.
The 2017 PIT Count documented 466 people experiencing homelessness, with approximately 70 percent of those individuals unsheltered. The Northwest CoC asks service providers (food pantries, shelters, community kitchens, schools, utilities, and hospitals), churches, local government, and law enforcement agencies with knowledge of individuals and families experiencing homelessness to contact either Marti Johnson via email; rise@hosphouse.org, or Shane Johnson via email shane@hosphouse.org or call either at Hospitality House (828) 264-1237
“The Point-in-Time Count is an opportunity for us to share what we see in our community as well as the trends of what goes unseen. When this information is gathered from various service providers such as law enforcement and schools, it gives us more of an overview of the need in our area,” states Hospitality House executive director, Tina Krause.
Krause continues, “Through the 2017 Point in Time count, we learned that our region is the second highest ranked of homelessness in the state with the highest being Buncombe County. Additionally, we were alerted to the fact that 43 percent of all unsheltered homeless families in North Carolina live in our region. This directly impacts the decisions that we as a community need to make, when working to find solutions.”
If you are experiencing homelessness, please come forward to be counted. Let a food pantry, school, community kitchen or church know where you are. The count respects confidentiality of those experiencing homelessness and does not obligate anyone for unwanted services. Knowing the extent of homelessness, particularly homeless families and veterans, assists the development of support services to meet the basic needs of housing to those in need.
Hospitality House – Lead agency of Northwest Continuum of Care
VAYA Health
O.A.S.I.S. Inc.
Northwestern Regional Housing Authority
Veterans Administration
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