The Fredericksburg Regional Continuum of Care (CoC) will hold the winter point in time count of homeless in the area on Jan. 23.
The point in time count is an annual census of those experiencing homelessness within the region.
According to a press release from the CoC, the count is federally mandated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to assist in understanding homelessness across the country and to obtain a local, statistically reliable and unduplicated count of homeless individuals and families.
The count is planned, coordinated, and carried out by the Fredericksburg Regional CoC — the federally mandated local planning body that coordinates housing and services for the homeless in Planning District 16, which includes Fredericksburg as well as Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties.
A CoC is made up of organizations and individuals that work together to develop long and short-term strategic plans to ending homelessness in an area. The CoC brings over 50 community partners together regularly to discuss trends in homelessness and to design a system to effectively and efficiently provide services for the needs of the homeless population.
The information gathered during the point in time count is used by the community to better allocate housing resources and services. The count is the only opportunity throughout the year for most communities to take a comprehensive look at the total homeless population and is crucial in assessing the needs of the unsheltered.
During the count, teams of CoC trained local volunteers conduct surveys with unsheltered participants across the planning district to help accurately track the number and specific needs of the region’s homeless population. Individuals and families currently receiving services in the region’s emergency shelters, and motels or hotels paid for by agencies are also surveyed by local agency staff members.
The number of students in public school systems who meet the Department of Education definition of homeless are also obtained and included in the report. Planning and coordination for the count is conducted in collaboration with direct service providers, local government staff, social services departments, public schools, and local law enforcement agencies from the five jurisdictions in the planning district.
The CoC is recruiting volunteers for this year’s count. Anyone interested in volunteering may sign up here. Additional information about the CoC and the point in time count may be found on the CoC website.
