Community members have the opportunity to give most needed items.
A two-week resource drive will be the COVID-19 friendly focus of the 2021 Project Homeless Connect. At the recommendation of Clark County Public Health, Council for the Homeless has made the difficult decision to cancel 2021 Project Homeless Connect and the unsheltered component of the Point in Time Count. Both events place people in direct contact with one another and the risk of COVID-19 infection for our neighbors who are homeless is too high. Communities across Washington and nationwide are implementing similar adjustments.
Meeting Most Immediate Needs:
Knowing the needs of people who are houseless remain high, Council for the Homeless, in partnership with Amerigroup, PeaceHealth, Banfield Foundation, Living Hope Church, and partner non-profit organizations, will facilitate a resource drive and distribution of items most needed among those who are houseless.
The resource drive will begin Monday, January 18, though January 27, 2021. Items can be dropped off at Living Hope Church in front of their Live Love Center at 2711 NE Andresen Rd, Vancouver, 98661. Drop off days and times are: Mondays 12:00pm-2:30pm, Wednesdays 12:00pm-2:30pm, and Friday 5:00pm-7:00pm. Items that are not on the list cannot be accepted at this time.
On Thursday, January 28, homeless system outreach teams and groups already serving those who are experiencing homelessness will be invited to pick-up and distribute items collected to those they are already in contact with throughout Clark County. Items not picked up on this day will be stored and accessible to outreach teams throughout the winter.
“People who are houseless have done an excellent job physically distancing and remaining safe, even without homes, during this challenging time. This added precaution is to protect them while helping meet their most immediate needs during a time where accessing resources is difficult,” shared Kate Budd, executive director of Council for the Homeless.
2021 Changes for the Annual Point in Time Count:
The annual Point in Time Count typically consists of counting people who are living outside unsheltered, as well as those who are sheltered via a local program. Due to Covid-19 precautions, Council for the Homeless will conduct a Sheltered Point in Time Count only, consisting of every person in severe weather, winter, or emergency shelter, in transitional housing or in the SafePark Program. Each of these programs enters data into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and count numbers will be pulled from there on January 28, 2021.
In addition, CFTH will release the 2020 Homeless System Data during the first quarter of 2021. This report, encompassing a full year of data, is a more comprehensive count of the number of people in Clark County who are experiencing homelessness versus the one-night Point in Time Count. Dale Whitley, HMIS administrator with Council for the Homeless specified, “The 2020 Annual Data Report will account for nearly every person who touches our local homeless system, from outreach, to meal programs and the Housing Hotline. It shows their self-identified needs and how well we as a community were able to meet those need. It’s an important report as our community continues to work together to address homelessness.”
Questions?
For Project Homeless Connect: Laura Ellsworth at lellsworth@councilforthehomeless.org.
For Point in Time Count: Dale Whitley at dwhitely@councilforthehomeless.org.
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