Frisco Enterprise > News
Hitting the streets: Homeless Coalition seeks volunteers for annual count
By Kelley Chambers, kchambers@starlocalnews.com
Although the topic of homelessness in Collin County has gained more awareness in the past year, the real challenge facing local service agencies is finding those who make up that demographic.
The Collin County Homeless Coalition is recruiting volunteers to help track and document the people who make up the county's homeless population for its annual Point in Time Homeless Count on Jan. 24.
The count -- which will take place in McKinney, Frisco, Allen, Fairview, Plano and unincorporated areas throughout the county under the guidance of the cities and their police departments -- depends on team manpower to distribute surveys and to individuals and families living in local shelters and on the streets.
Volunteers will also distribute survival bags provided by Collin College, churches and area civic organizations. A one-hour training session will take place just prior to the count, which will span from 10 p.m. until midnight.
"The ability to provide services to the growing numbers of homeless people, of which 40 percent are children, is the reason that the homeless count is conducted every year in Collin County," said Stacy Brown, housing and grants administrator for the city of Frisco and chairperson for the Collin County Homeless Coaliton. "This count shows the need for services in Collin County, and the greatest need is housing for families."
Collin County homelessness rose to the forefront of public awareness thanks in part to the Point in Time count, which began as a pilot program in the city of Plano in 2011 and was inspired by practices established by the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition.
The result was a fuller reporting of homeless persons, and revealed a 275 percent spike in the number of homeless people in Plano.
With the success of its pilot program, the coalition last year expanded the count to include Plano, Allen, Frisco and McKinney. Although unfavorable weather prevented volunteers from reaching out to as many individuals as they had the year before, 531 people were identified in the count -- up from 368 the previous year.
Of last year's count, 211 individuals were children, according to the report.
Thanks to partnerships and collaboration, the coalition has worked with countywide service organizations, churches, school districts, city governments, educational institutions, businesses and individual advocates to identify people in need of services. It also allows it to provide statistics needed to bring resources into the county, Brown said.
To compete for funding, counties must document the number of homeless people and their needs. Although Collin County makes up 15 percent of the homeless population for Dallas and Collin counties combined, local agencies only receive 3 percent of the annual federal Continuum of Care Grant, with Dallas County receiving the remaining funds, Brown said.
"I don't think too many people are aware of this discrepancy," she said. "We have to get out there and show this number again."
Reasons for homelessness vary, but many people who find themselves without a home have faced unemployment, mental illness, divorce or other life-altering setbacks. Thanks to statistics generated from the count, city governments can better assess their community's needs for services and determine what service agencies would benefit most from their support, said Shirletta Best, community services administrator for the city of McKinney.
"Homelessness prevention is a critical need in our community," Best said. "The count gives us a chance to really look at those services, and if there's a gap, we have the opportunity to assist and leverage resources that are already available."
Roughly 40 volunteers helped administer the surveys in the city of Allen last year, putting forth a total of 150 to 160 man hours. Such an effort proved many residents are concerned with combating homelessness in their community, said Patrick Blaydes, community integrity planner for the city of Allen.
"Here in Allen, we have a lot of individuals who are homeless either moving through town, are families staying at hotel or are teenagers sleeping on someone's couch; that's the impression we gathered," he said. "They're difficult to find. Roughly 65 percent of the people we found had jobs, they just couldn't make enough money to pay for medicine, food and shelter."
For information about the Point in Time Homeless Count or to register as a volunteer, visit www.collincountyhomelesscoalition.com.
The Collin County Homeless Coalition is recruiting volunteers to help track and document the people who make up the county's homeless population for its annual Point in Time Homeless Count on Jan. 24.
The count -- which will take place in McKinney, Frisco, Allen, Fairview, Plano and unincorporated areas throughout the county under the guidance of the cities and their police departments -- depends on team manpower to distribute surveys and to individuals and families living in local shelters and on the streets.
Volunteers will also distribute survival bags provided by Collin College, churches and area civic organizations. A one-hour training session will take place just prior to the count, which will span from 10 p.m. until midnight.
"The ability to provide services to the growing numbers of homeless people, of which 40 percent are children, is the reason that the homeless count is conducted every year in Collin County," said Stacy Brown, housing and grants administrator for the city of Frisco and chairperson for the Collin County Homeless Coaliton. "This count shows the need for services in Collin County, and the greatest need is housing for families."
Collin County homelessness rose to the forefront of public awareness thanks in part to the Point in Time count, which began as a pilot program in the city of Plano in 2011 and was inspired by practices established by the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition.
The result was a fuller reporting of homeless persons, and revealed a 275 percent spike in the number of homeless people in Plano.
With the success of its pilot program, the coalition last year expanded the count to include Plano, Allen, Frisco and McKinney. Although unfavorable weather prevented volunteers from reaching out to as many individuals as they had the year before, 531 people were identified in the count -- up from 368 the previous year.
Of last year's count, 211 individuals were children, according to the report.
Thanks to partnerships and collaboration, the coalition has worked with countywide service organizations, churches, school districts, city governments, educational institutions, businesses and individual advocates to identify people in need of services. It also allows it to provide statistics needed to bring resources into the county, Brown said.
To compete for funding, counties must document the number of homeless people and their needs. Although Collin County makes up 15 percent of the homeless population for Dallas and Collin counties combined, local agencies only receive 3 percent of the annual federal Continuum of Care Grant, with Dallas County receiving the remaining funds, Brown said.
"I don't think too many people are aware of this discrepancy," she said. "We have to get out there and show this number again."
Reasons for homelessness vary, but many people who find themselves without a home have faced unemployment, mental illness, divorce or other life-altering setbacks. Thanks to statistics generated from the count, city governments can better assess their community's needs for services and determine what service agencies would benefit most from their support, said Shirletta Best, community services administrator for the city of McKinney.
"Homelessness prevention is a critical need in our community," Best said. "The count gives us a chance to really look at those services, and if there's a gap, we have the opportunity to assist and leverage resources that are already available."
Roughly 40 volunteers helped administer the surveys in the city of Allen last year, putting forth a total of 150 to 160 man hours. Such an effort proved many residents are concerned with combating homelessness in their community, said Patrick Blaydes, community integrity planner for the city of Allen.
"Here in Allen, we have a lot of individuals who are homeless either moving through town, are families staying at hotel or are teenagers sleeping on someone's couch; that's the impression we gathered," he said. "They're difficult to find. Roughly 65 percent of the people we found had jobs, they just couldn't make enough money to pay for medicine, food and shelter."
For information about the Point in Time Homeless Count or to register as a volunteer, visit www.collincountyhomelesscoalition.com.
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