Wright County Seeking Homeless Residents In Need

From the Wright County Government:

Posted on: December 26, 2019

Throughout the country, the growing rate of homelessness has been an issue that is impacting more individuals and families all the time.

With 2020 being a census year where all populations are counted, an effort is being made to accurately track how many people are homeless in Wright County.

Homelessness takes many forms aside from simply living outside. Some homeless live in their vehicles and others are temporarily sheltered with friends, families or in homeless shelters, making it more difficult to arrive at an accurate number when determining the overall homeless population.

Starting on Wednesday, Jan. 22 and running through Tuesday, Jan. 28, several Wright County organizations will be conducting interview surveys with those who are experiencing homelessness as part of the 2020 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. States, counties and cities throughout the country conduct PIT counts annually to count all persons deemed to be homeless at the time.

The PIT count is a community-based effort to identify the homeless, whether they are temporarily “couch-hopping” from one friend or relative to another, unsheltered, living on the street or in a place not meant for habitation like a car or an abandoned building. The count is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the agency that allocates federal dollars to deal with homelessness.

PIT count data is used to determine funding for resources in the local communities, as well as providing a tool for analyzing trends, identifying changes and gaining a better understanding of how to target resources for the homeless.

Several organizations will be working together to gather data for the Wright County PIT count, including the following:

• Lutheran Social Services, (320) 251-7700, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• The Salvation Army Wright County, (651) 440-1687, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Wright County Community Action, (320) 963-6500, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Wright County Health & Human Services, (763) 682-7445, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Interviews take approximately five minutes and will provide much needed hard data to present to Minnesota lawmakers concerning the growing homeless population that needs their help.

For those who like to be more involved in this important project, go the following website:

https://hmismn.org/wp-content/uploads/2020-PIT-Observation-Tool.pdf

This press release was produced by the Wright County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.