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Volunteers of America to lead point‑in‑time count; committee discusses Conestoga huts as temporary shelter option
Summary
The council's housing committee reported Volunteers of America will coordinate the Jan. 30 point‑in‑time count for Skagit County and discussed Conestoga hut shelters as a possible short‑term option, while noting county aggregation prevents an Anacortes‑only count.
The Housing, Affordability and Community Services Committee reported Jan. 13 that Volunteers of America will lead this year's point‑in‑time (PIT) count for Skagit County; the PIT date is Jan. 30 with data collection continuing through Feb. 5.
Councilmember Walters said Chuck Messenger from Volunteers of America briefed the committee. The PIT count is intended to determine who is experiencing homelessness on the designated date; Walters said the count undercounts people, particularly in rural areas, and that organizers plan additional outreach and supplies for people who are unsheltered to encourage participation. Walters said training for survey collectors will take place in the weeks ahead and that the PIT count data are aggregated at the county level, so the committee will not receive Anacortes‑specific totals from the primary count.
Walters listed organizations participating in outreach and collection efforts, including the Anacortes Family Center, the Salvation Army, the Samish and Swinomish tribes and Volunteers of America. He said Volunteers of America will accept volunteers at www.voaww.org/pit.
The committee also discussed Conestoga huts — low‑cost, quickly deployable shelters resembling small huts — as a possible temporary shelter option for people who are completely unsheltered. Walters said the committee judged the huts to be potentially useful in time‑limited circumstances but that they currently see no clear local use case in Anacortes.
No policy or funding decisions for new shelter structures were made at the Jan. 13 meeting.
