Robyn posted on March 02, 2012 13:59
On January 24th, our homelessness prevention caseworker Jeff Bowman participated in the
Point in Time Survey, which collects important information about homelessness. Numerous other agencies and volunteers throughout the state also completed this survey at the same time. The information will be used by local, state, and federal agencies to better assess the needs of our homeless population.
Jeff and an assistant screened clients in our
Community Kitchen to determine if they were homeless and to see what special needs they had. His results showed that, of the 100 to 150 clients who eat in the kitchen every day,
- at least 50% are at a high risk of becoming homeless due to unstable living situations, inadequate income, and loss of utilities
- many of those surveyed reported special needs including mental health disorders, substance abuse issues, physical or developmental disabilities, and health related problems including HIV/AIDS.
The final results for the 2012 Point in Time Survey will be published at
OneRoofOnline.org.
Last year's Point-in-Time survey revealed that on any given night, there were 1,950 homeless people in Jefferson, Shelby, and St. Clair counties. Of those, 1,024 were living in shelters, while 926 were living without shelter.
We are so grateful to have Jeff on our staff as our primary
Homelessness Prevention coordinator. Read more about his work to prevent homelessness before it happens
here. Jeff is also able to connect currently homeless people to important services through the Continuum of Care system.
Next week, Jeff will take many of our clients to Project Homeless Connect at the BJCC to receive vital services including medical attention, haircuts, legal services, ID replacement, and more. Many of the people we will bring are in desperate need of dental services and vision screenings. Watch the video below for more details:
Here are some ways you can join us to address homelessness in our community: Thank you for your support, which allows us to continue to provide emergency services for homeless and at-risk people in our community.