Point-in-Time Count: An Annual Reminder of the Depth of Homelessness in KC

A collection of social workers and homeless advocates gathered recently in a meeting room at the reStart shelter just of east of Kansas City's downtown to train for the annual point-in-time count of homeless individuals. The count is used to identify the need towards matching individuals with services. I joined the evening training session, parking my car on a side street on the cold, windy night. As I walked around the corner of the large men's and women's homeless shelter, I passed one or two people leaning against the building for a cigarette, and noticed a few others scattered around outside.

Inside reStart Executive Director Evie Craig invited people to pizza and lemonade while setting up the slide presentation. After people settled into their chairs we introduced ourselves. The meeting included several clinicians from area agencies and newly-employeed reStart social workers, including a trio of Street Outreach workers sitting in the back. I imagine the young workers are truly on the frontlines of supporting individuals needing help.

Craig mentions the count of homeless individuals is a requirement of the federal government's Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program, administered at a state level. Missouri decides to conduct a count on the same day each year -- this year the count takes place on the evening of January 29, 2014.

She runs through her presentation without a script, underscoring both the significant number and needs of homeless individuals and families in the Kansas City area. Craig is clearly hands-on and direct. At one point she mentions a separate "youth count" focuses on individuals up to age 24, then explains that HUD does not define certain youth who "couch surf" as homeless. Nor does HUD count people as homeless staying in hotels, unless an agency pays for the the hotel, Craig adds, suggesting a more accurate count would include these people.

Before the training session a woman working as a full-time case worker in the Raytown school district shares the level of the problem: 265 homeless kids in the Raytown school district, 1000 in the KCMO school district and 800 in Independence. And it's not just high school kids that are homeless, pointing out that much younger kids fall into this condition.

Throughout the presentation Craig connects the efforts and results of the 100,000 Homes campaign. 80,000 "chronically and medically vulnerable people" nationwide have been housed towards their goal of July 2014. She adds that 294 chronically homeless individuals in the KC area have been housed, including 83 military veterans, where "we've seen a reduction in veteran homelessness."

HUD defines chronically homeless based on the duration and number of times a person is homeless. Craig reminds people that chronically homeless individuals "over-use emergency services," and these people would benefit by connecting with social services to help improve their health and well-being.

Two years ago when I participated in the homeless count I was reminded of the difficult task of providing services to homeless people -- their condition is more than purely economic as some have substance abuse problems, mental health issues or are victims of domestic abuse.

My hat is off to those workers in the front lines who provide support and services to these people. I can only count myself as fortunate to listen and learn for a few hours to the stories and situations of homeless people when I conduct surveys during the 2014 point-in-time count of homeless people on January 29.

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