Annual Point-In-Time Count set for Thursday

City to begin count of homeless persons, families

David Lewis, Community, Housing and Human Services Department, (509) 625-6051

Monday, January 25, 2016 at 1:30 p.m.

The 2016 Point-in-Time count of persons and families experiencing homelessness will take place in Spokane (and across the state) on Thursday.

This annual census of homelessness provides data used to complete grant applications and reports required by state and federal homeless service funders. The information also supports strategic planning for the allocation of resources that most effectively meet community needs.

The Point-In-Time Count includes individuals and persons in families, including youth, who on the night of the count are:

  • Sheltered – Living in a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements, including congregate shelters, transitional housing, safe havens, and hotels/motels paid for with emergency shelter vouchers, or
  • Unsheltered – Using a primary nighttime residence that is outdoors or a place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground.

Point-in-Time Count data will be collected at service sites for a week beginning Thursday, Jan. 28, and finishing on Thursday, Feb. 4. Participants will be asked to complete a form identifying their housing circumstances the night of Jan. 28. A central data collection station will be located at the Spokane Transit Authority Plaza located at 701 W. Riverside Ave. The data collection station at the Plaza will be open from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thursday.

The Point-in-Time Count is made possible through an extensive partnership of social service providers, outreach professionals, volunteers, and local government agencies. All individuals experiencing homelessness are encouraged to participate in this important event.

For more information regarding the 2016 Point-in-Time count, including how to be counted, please contact David Lewis with the City of Spokane Community, Housing and Human Services Department at 509.625.6051.