Homelessness

When you think of a person experiencing homeless, it’s difficult to imagine a young person fending for themselves on the streets. On a single night in 2018, 36,261 unaccompanied youth were counted as homeless. The number is shocking

This year, for the first time thanks to our State Legislature, people can register to vote in person at the Clark County Elections office located at 1408 Franklin Street, Vancouver right through Election Day, November 5, 2019.

Council for the Homeless is fortunate to be a partner with United Way Columbia-Willamette, Clark County’s local United Way. Across the Portland metropolitan region, United Way funding serves as a catalyst for many initiatives…

What is a Continuum of Care (CoC) and what does it do for our community? A Continuum of Care (CoC) is a regional or local planning body that coordinates housing and services funding for homeless families and individuals. In Clark County, that body is made up of over 100 people including service providers, advocates, and community members.

Over twenty years ago, those who were unfortunate enough to coach me in softball often yelled that no matter how hard I hit the ball with the bat, the ball will only go where my eyes are focused. The 2019 Point In Time (PIT) Count data for Clark County shows us that our collective eyes need to focus on solutions and outcomes that move people from being homeless into permanent living situations.

Identifying outcomes, collecting data and measuring progress are critical components to reducing homelessness locally and across the nation. The two most common ways data are collected is through the Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS) and the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. The HMIS system collects client-level data and allows communities to identify the number of people needing assistance due to homelessness and the number of people who received assistance and what type, in an unduplicated way. This can be collected for any time frame.

Thirty years ago in 1989, the Council for the Homeless was founded by Clark County, City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Housing Authority to lead and coordinate the work of addressing homelessness throughout Clark County. There are many accomplishments and milestones in this work both for our organization and for the community as a whole. Yet, factors that contribute to homelessness do not stand still and the conversations about solutions to homelessness are dynamic.

Did you know planning for the increased need for shelter during the winter actually begins in the previous spring? Council for the Homeless convenes a Winter Weather Task Force and the details, logistics, and resources are steadily put in place to be operational November 1st.

Stephanie Brown, Special Education teacher at Union Ridge Elementary in Ridgefield, believes her students are compassionate and able to contribute to making the community a better place. She shares, “Even though they have challenges with communication or other skills, they are empathetic and feel good about helping others. Socktober is a perfect way for them to engage.”