BRISTOL, TN – During the 24-hour period beginning at noon on January 25, volunteers and staff from the Appalachian Regional Coalition on Homelessness (ARCH) will canvass the East Tennessee counties of Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Washington and Unicoi to conduct a census of homeless individuals.
The Point-in-Time (PIT) count is a HUD-mandated count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons. The annual count is conducted each January.
According to Douglas L. Murray, Homeless Programs Outreach Director for ARCH, “homelessness” is defined as any individual: currently living in an emergency or domestic violence shelter; living in a place not meant for permanent human habitation, such as an outbuilding, cave, tent, camper or public place or; living in a hotel/motel that is being paid for by a non-profit (church or Red Cross) because they can’t afford to pay for it themselves.
“Without this data, no agency, city, county or other entity can receive federal funds to provide assistance and start new programs,” explained Murray.
“ARCH has been successful in bringing in over $50 million dollars in matching assistance to the upper eight county area of Tennessee,” he said.
Murray and ARCH encourage the public’s assistance in identifying individuals and families who may be homeless the date of the count.
“We are also in need of volunteers to assist with this count. Each agency and person who comes in contact with a homeless individual can make a difference,” he added.
Murray explained that definition of homelessness can vary by programs.
“While some programs include doubled-up/couch homeless and over-crowded conditions, those individuals will not be included in this particular count,” he said. “Similarly, substandard housing doesn’t qualify someone as homeless. We can still gather information about these individuals, but we will not report those numbers to HUD,” he added.
In addition to volunteers to assist with the count, ARCH also seeks donations of money, food, hygiene products, socks and gloves to be distributed to the homeless during the count. Items can be delivered to the Johnson City office at 321 W. Walnut St.; Bristol office at 522 Alabama St.; or Greeneville office at 124 Austin St., Suite 5 by January 21st. Checks should be mailed to the Johnson City office at P.O. Box 3797, Johnson City, TN 37602.
To find out more how you can assist with the 2016 Point-In-Time Count, contact Murray at the Appalachian Regional Coalition on Homelessness, 423.557.2294, or via email: doug@appalachianhomeless.org.