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Lawrence board reviews point-in-time homeless count; officials report 167 people found
Summary
Officials reported a Feb. 9 point-in-time count submitted to the state showing 167 people experiencing homelessness in Lawrence, described shelter usage and discussed service needs, data gaps and how weather and shelter availability may affect counts.
At the March 10 meeting the board reviewed results from a state-mandated point-in-time homeless count conducted the night of Feb. 9. A homeless coordinator and outreach teams counted people in shelters and on the streets between about 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. and compiled a final total of 167 individuals reported to the state.
Speakers said the count found many people in emergency shelters: they reported about 80 people at House of Mercy during the count, Daybreak shelter housing about 50 occupants and Lazarus's House offering 20 beds that night. The transcript records additional facility-level tallies provided by outreach partners and notes that some individuals declined to identify a gender during the count.
Board members queried how weather and shelter availability affected the results; multiple participants said the colder night and the availability of emergency shelter placements likely reduced the number of people found outdoors compared with prior counts. Board members also recommended additional surveys to collect service-related information—whether counted individuals have MassHealth, a primary-care provider, and how long people have been in the community—to guide housing, treatment and job-training programs.
Participants discussed service options in the city and region including referrals to detox and rehab programs, transitional housing supports and outreach that connects people to Suboxone and day programs. The board noted that earlier school-district data indicated more than 400 students had experienced homelessness, underscoring housing instability across age groups.
Outcome: the board agreed to keep homeless services, data collection and SAFE 2.0 updates on future meeting agendas for further planning and coordination.
