MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Montgomery County conducted their “Point-In-Time (PIT) Count” of unsheltered homelessness Thursday morning.
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Volunteers gathered at St. Vincent de Paul Shelter for Women and Families at 3:30 a.m. before dispersing to survey the homelessness issue across the county.
“No one should have to sleep on the street. No one should be denied the basic right of having affordable shelter,” Commissioner Carolyn Rice said. “The Point-In-Time Count is crucial to allowing us to see the full picture of the issue of homelessness, to assess our ongoing efforts and to brainstorm new solutions.”
Officials conducted the count to quantify the homelessness issue through the years and potentially connect people in need with county resources, a spokesperson for the department stated.
“It is an opportunity for people who may have been under the radar and not engaged with our outreach team to be able to begin that engagement process and to be able to do follow up and make that connection to shelter and housing,” Montgomery County Homeless Solutions Program Coordinator Kathleen Shanahan said.
In last year’s one-night count, 570 people were living in an emergency shelter or on the street, the spokesperson informed. About 530 of them, or 93 percent, were sleeping in an emergency shelter.
News Center 7 Reporter Xavier Hershovitz reported the story from the event, however was not allowed to ride along with the volunteers to protect the privacy and locations of the counted individuals.
Volunteers canvased locations where people were known to sleep in cars, wooded areas, or abandoned buildings, the spokesperson said. The survey also took place at meal and services sites.
The results are scheduled to release in March.