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At the June 10, 2008, Continuum of Care Forum - Transforming Our Planning: Better Utilization of Data Janel Winter of CSH provided an overview of the 2008 Point in Time count. The final report will be released in the next few weeks and we will post a link to the full data at that time.

In addition, in her comments, Ms. Winter highlighted changes in HUD regulations that requires a 72 hour period of homelessness to meet the definition and changes in the SSI certification requirements. Both of these updates will have an immediate and lasting impact on existing programs and Continuums of Care in New Jersey. To listen to Ms. Winter’s comments use the link below.

 

 Janel Winter on the 2008 PIT Count [46:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Key initial highlights of the 2008 PIT Count:

Seven thousand three hundred and forty-six (7,346) adults were homeless on the night of the count.

Three thousand six hundred and one (3,601) children were homeless.

Of the homeless children one thousand seven hundred seventy-two (1,772) were six years of age or younger.

Of the homeless children one thousand eight hundred twenty-nine (1,829) were between seven and seventeen years of age or younger.

Using “Estimating the Need” calculation method, there were 27,628 homeless adults and children in New Jersey over the course of the year.

To review the PowerPoint for more details click here.

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In our travels this week we were able to attend numerous meetings. Among the meetings were Homeless Network Planning Committee in Camden and the Hudson Alliance to End Homelessness. Both groups have ten year plans to end homelessness and are actively working to develop and implement innovative strategies to end homelessness.

At this week’s meetings both group had taken the initiative to develop an analysis of the January 29, 2008, Point in Time Count from the preliminary data they had been provided by the Corporation for Supportive Housing. We were impressed with both efforts as they clearly described the homeless within their communities. This information permitted the members of the groups and others to see patterns and clarify need. For example on the last page of Camden’s report they detailed observations from the data that encouraged a healthy discussion about the data. We commend both groups for the initiative.

To view the Homeless Network Planning Committee’s report on Camden’s homeless click here.

To view the overall report from the Hudson Alliance to End Homelessness click here.

To view the overall report from the Hudson Alliance to End Homelessness on the chronically homeless click here.

On February 28, 2008, the Board of Chosen Freeholders of Sussex County - Harold J. Wirths. Freeholder Director, Glen Vetrano, Deputy Director, Phillip R. Crabb, Jeffrey M. Parrott and Susan M. Zellman - thanked each of the volunteers who helped make Project Homeless Connect and Point in Time a success. The event was attended by more forty (40) volunteers who were thanked for making the 2008 events a success. To view the list click here.

The Herald News covered the event in an article entitled “Number of homeless children in county on the rise.” To read the article click here.

These are the photos, courtesy of Thor Carlson, from the event. Click on any photo to view it full size. Right click to save.

This is the article in the Herald News

Number of homeless children in county on the rise
Wednesday, December 31, 2008

By STEPHEN J. NOVAK [Email address: snovak #AT# njherald.com - replace #AT# with @ ]

NEWTON - Just last week, as Stephen Gruchacz walked through the county’s social services office, he saw about 75 people in the waiting room, and “an awful lot of strollers.

A recent survey confirmed the impression of the administrator of the county Department of Health and Human Services: the number of homeless or at-risk families with young children is on the rise.

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Tags: Point-in-Time-Count, Project Homeless Connect, Sussex County

Talking Politics TV show is streaming reruns of their coverage of the 2007 Point in Time count in Hudson county. Rerun - If you missed it, watch our show on last year’s January Homeless Count Day. Meet some of the folks involved with helping the homeless whether through the County or private shelters. Come with us as Bob DuVal, TP’s cameraman, Tom Harrigan from PERC, a private emergency shelter, and I meet some of the homeless who live under the viaduct in Union City. Hear their stories. Get the insights on one of three private emergency shelters in HC as I talk to the Director of PERC in Union City. Many of those living in these shelters are the working poor, the minimum wage earners.

To watch the show click here.

January 29, 2008 brought Project Homeless Connect Events to counties across the state. In conjunction with this service model, Point-in-Time Surveys were conducted to count the homeless population in New Jeresy. The Trenton Times reported on the Point-In-Time efforts in Mercer County.

Counting the homeless

Wednesday, January 30, 2008
BY LISA CORYELL

TRENTON — You won’t find Jeffrey Bakos waiting in line for a bed at any city shelter. You won’t find him enjoying a hot meal at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. You won’t find him applying for welfare benefits downtown.

No, to find the fiercely independent Bakos you have to go to where he lives — in a makeshift shanty covered by a blue plastic tarp deep in the woods off Lalor Street.
And that’s just where volunteers located him yesterday morning during the city’s annual Point in Time count, a daylong tabulation of the area’s homeless population.

Armed with a federal survey, volunteers queried Bakos on everything from his vital statistics to his personal history and medical needs.

…

To read the full article click here

Middlesex County saw a large turn out at their Project Homeless Connect event sites on January 29. People attending the events received services, goodie bags and meals throughout the day. The Home News Tribune highlighted the importance of the Point in Time Count and the differences from previous years.

MIDDLESEX COUNTY — After the first wave of people were fed Tuesday at Elijah’s Promise in New Brunswick, the soup kitchen’s Executive Director Lisanne Finston had recorded 128 homeless in the lunch crowd alone. That’s not counting the 50 or 60 homeless persons she estimated were fed across town at the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

A second wave of homeless would arrive several hours later for dinner.

The count was part of Middlesex County’s annual Point in Time Survey which is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, for municipalities applying for funds for homeless housing. The count serves as a kind of snapshot of the number of homeless people living in the county at a given moment in time.

Tuesday, the count was up.

To read the full article click here

Register now to learn about the 2008 PITC Survey Instrument and the Online Survey! Click here for the registration form.

Who Should Attend:

Continuum of Care Organizers
Point in Time Count Organizers
Anyone who will be training staff or volunteers to administer the survey or upload data

Sign up for one of four regional trainings:

Friday, November 30 
Essex County Environment Center, Roseland
11 - 1 PM

Friday, December 7
NJ Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency, Trenton
10 to 12 PM

Friday, December 14
Jewish Family Service of Atlantic County, Margate City
10 to 12 PM

Monday, December 17
CPAC, Pennsauken 10 to 12 PM

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