2024 Point-in-Time Count Reflection
Last week, we shared with you information about the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count as well as Outreach's involvement this year. Sarah Doak, YouthLink Diversion Specialist, was one of the staff members who went out last week, and now that the PIT Count has been wrapped up for this year, we wanted to share a reflection from Sarah's experience:
“The PIT Count started around 6:00pm and we finished up right before 11:00pm. All the teams of volunteers from different organizations across the city met at Horizon House first to gather supplies and be informed of our routes. We were given drawstring bags with snacks, water, hats & gloves, bus passes, and other supplies. We also had blankets as well as dog and cat food to give out.
Our team of 3 was assigned 13 sites to visit and look for folks. These sites were identified by street outreach teams as known camps. There were certainly many camps we came across, though we did not find as many people as we hoped for. However, weather is certainly something to take into account--even though it was a much warmer evening than we've been experiencing lately, it was still very foggy and very wet. We trudged through muddy paths, woods, and down by riverbanks - finding makeshift tents, tarp coverings, even full mattresses in a few spots. It’s amazing to realize that people’s entire lives and all their belongings are hidden just a few steps behind some trees. They are hidden, of course due to privacy and safety concerns. Even small patches of woodsy areas that seem too obvious or not enough space for a living quarters had folks in them. Through the rest of the night, when we drove by woods or areas with a dense number of trees and brush, even if we weren’t assigned those areas I wondered if there could be anyone back there. They could be anywhere.
One spot we went to was down a hill and right off an interstate near a motel. We found a makeshift tent with 3 people inside. One of the men we spoke with used to have his own tattoo shop and home in Whiteland, but during the pandemic he lost his business, and subsequently eventually lost his home. Ever since, new problems have arisen every day that continue to dig him further into the hole of homelessness that is so hard to get out of, but he remains positive and motivated to move forward from this season in his life.
It was a bit harrowing to come across multiple sites that very clearly had camps set up where people had been staying, yet no one was there. The saddest was when it was evident they really cared for their spot…some folks are incredibly creative and have living room- and bedroom-type set ups that have been carefully crafted and decorated. Though we wish we would have come across more people during the count, we are just hoping that they were sheltered and safe somewhere else that night.”
