INDIANAPOLIS – On Wednesday, January 23rd the Indiana Balance of State Continuum of Care will conduct the 2019 Point-in-Time (PiT) Count in Indiana. Under the direction of local coordinators, hundreds of volunteers from around the state will conduct the count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals on this day.
This undertaking requires intense local collaboration among numerous agencies, shelters and nonprofits. Most areas are still in need of volunteers. Those interested in volunteering should contact the Point-in-Time Count Coordinator found in their region.
To help support this year’s Point-in-Time Count, Gleaners is donating 1,500 care packages for volunteers to distribute to unsheltered homeless individuals during their outreach for the Point-in-Time Count. The care packages include a toothbrush, tooth paste, deodorant, water, granola bar and additional shelf stable items.
“We are extremely grateful for Gleaners and their partnership on preparing and distributing care packages during the Point-in-Time Count,” said Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, who serves as the board chair for the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA). “This provides local organizations and volunteers the opportunity to provide needed supplies to Hoosiers experiencing homelessness.”
Those interested in providing donations to Gleaners can visit http://www.gleaners.org to find a listing of drop-off locations and a portal to provide a monetary donation.
The PIT Count is a requirement by the U.S. Department for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for every community receiving federal funds for programs to aid the homeless. While the amount of federal allocations is not directly based on the findings of the PIT Count, HUD considers the outcomes and justifications for upwards and downward swings as additional information for tracking purposes and future strategies on how to house persons permanently.
IHCDA is the collaborative applicant for the Indiana Continuum of Care which is charged with aligning the state’s homeless service and prevention programs in 91 of 92 Indiana counties. The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) is responsible for aligning service and prevention and conducting the PiT counts in Marion county. CHIP is conducting the 2019 PiT count in Marion county on January 30th.
