The Sacramento LGBT Community Center is a proud participant of the Every Youth Counts Point-in-Time (PiT) Count in our region this month. We have staff involved in organizing services, volunteers and donations as we speak and we would love for our community to get more involved if they are interested.
PIT Counts matter most because they are the primary way the federal government tracks the overall number of people experiencing homeless. The counts are also used to benchmark progress toward our shared national goal to permanently end homelessness.They remain the most comprehensive and easy-to-understand tool available to measure sheltered and unsheltered homelessness.But the counts are not perfect.
Many agencies agree that PIT counts miss homeless people who are ‘doubled-up;’ for example, families living with other families because neither can afford a home. The counts are also unlikely to include homeless people who are currently in the hospital or in jail.A particular challenge is youth under the age of 24. Most communities –Sacramento included – have a small number of shelter beds dedicated to youth. Young people can be unwilling to enter shelter and often don’t stay in places inhabited by homeless adults, making them hard to find and hard to count.
To improve the count, we are being very proactive and informing the community as well as preparing a large crew of volunteers to assure we get the most accurate count possible and provide new and expanded services to our unhoused youth.
So Here Are Some Details:
The Every Youth Counts Event on January 30 from 12 to 5 at 815 S Street.
The Facebook event link here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1944610052501800/
How can you support: Spread the word by posting the flyer and the Facebook event. Offer rides to youth on the day of the PIT count. Join the event. Donate to the survival supply kits (we need quantities of 100 in hand warmers, gloves, socks, chapstick, power bars, and such. We will assemble 400 bags in total.)
We are still seeking agency partners as well.
We need vision screenings, dental clinic, representatives from drug and alcohol counseling programs, education partners, mental health partners, performers, and workshop leads. If you are interested in offering a service for this event email us.
Street count on the evening of January 30th.
The street count involves teams taking a street census and surveying individuals experiencing homelessness. Each team gets a map and devotes roughly 4 hours to the count. We are wanting to have experienced social workers conducting surveys whenever possible so we encourage agencies to encourage their staff to get involved. All folks participating in the street count will need to attend one of the trainings offered over the next two weeks.
Wanting to help with the street count on January 30 and/or 31st?
Sign up here https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WLV8VVT
It is important that you indicate what element of the count you want to join. For example, you might enter that you want to participate as a surveyor at the Youth Magnet and at the Jan 30 street count.
Trainings for surveyors will be held the evenings of Jan 17, 22, and 23 and the morning of the 24th. You must attend one and you must register for the trainings. Registration links will be sent to those on the spreadsheet above.
Phone calls to youth on the coordinated entry queue / shelter wait lists that were not surveyed on the previous day.
The Sacramento 100 Day Challenge Team and staff from youth serving shelters will be calling youth that are on wait lists but did not connect with surveyors at the event or the previous night.
Street Count the night of January 31.
For the first time, there will be a second evening of the street count. This allows us to expand the scope of the count and reach more areas. We are hoping for a second night of strong volunteer turnout- and truly hope agencies will step up and commit their teams to surveying.
Steps to take today to support this event:
- Print the Every Youth Counts flyer and share it
- Share the Facebook event on your (or your company’s) page
- If are a part of an agency that would like to join the Every Youth Counts event, email here.
- Willing to join the street count? Sign up here
- Have donations for the survival gear bags? Let us know!
