New City Council Volunteers At Carpenter's Shelter

From The Carpenter's Shelter: On Monday, January 21, the City of Alexandria’s new City Council volunteered at Carpenter’s Shelter in recognition of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Council member attendees included Mayor Justin Wilson, Vice Mayor Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker, John T. Chapman, Amy B. Jackson, Redella S. “Del” Pepper, and Mohamed E. “Mo” Seifeldein.

The City Council prepared convenience bags for the morning of Thursday, January 24, the second half of the Annual Point-In-Time (PIT) count, which begins on the evening of Wednesday, January 23. These bags contain soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, razors, shaving cream, deodorant, snacks, and hand and toe warmers. Local service providers participating in the PIT count distribute convenience bags to the unsheltered homeless people they meet during the course of the event.

Carpenter’s Shelter’s Executive Director Shannon Steene joined City Council as they worked and noted, “I really tip my hat to the Council for coming to see our temporary shelter and helping with preparation for the upcoming Point-In-Time Count. By joining us to prepare convenience bags, the new City Council demonstrated their commitment to all Alexandrians.”

The City of Alexandria conducts the PIT Count every January in accord with all members of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The PIT Count features two parts—a count of “sheltered” homeless people and a count of “unsheltered” homeless people. Sheltered people include those living in shelters, transitional housing, and temporary housing. The organizations that operate these locations count their residents. Unsheltered people are those sleeping in places like alleys, parks, or vehicles. In the early morning hours, local service providers systematically canvas the City of Alexandria and note the number of people they encounter experiencing unsheltered or street homelessness. When both parts of the count are completed, the data is collected, analyzed, and distributed. The City’s 2018 PIT Count was 226 people, a 7% increase from the previous year.

The PIT Count has two primary purposes—assessing changes in homelessness from year to year and engaging with homeless people who are not connected to services. By offering the convenience bags that the City Council prepared, PIT Count participants will be better able to build rapport with new homeless community members.

Image via Carpenter's Shelter