Coalition outlines Jan. 27 Point‑in‑Time homeless count; training set for community volunteers

Speakers from the county coalition told council how the Point‑in‑Time count will be conducted and urged volunteer participation.

"We are actually here to talk about the annual Point in Time Count. We don't have any numbers as of yet because we haven't conducted the count. I handed out maps," Jamie Lancaster told council. Lancaster said the city portion of the count is scheduled for the evening of Jan. 27 and that in‑depth volunteer training is set for tomorrow at the Community Action Council from 2:00–3:00 p.m.

Council members pressed presenters on how the state develops final estimates. "We do not choose the highlighted area. That is something that the state picks," Lancaster said, and added that "they use an extrapolation method, and they pull from different census tracts around the State of Ohio, and then they report that to HUD." Lancaster also said the count is conducted overnight — typically beginning about 8:00 p.m. and concluding by 11:00 p.m. to midnight in smaller jurisdictions — and that volunteers will follow safety guidelines discussed during training.

Melody McClurg, who has participated in prior counts, recommended coordination with local police to identify known encampment locations and improve coverage. Councilors and members of the public described finding people in campers, abandoned buildings, river banks and parks during past counts and stressed that cold weather and short volunteer rosters can lead to undercounts.

Organizers said the coalition can pursue a summer count to capture seasonal differences if the community provides more volunteers. Lancaster and McClurg asked interested residents to attend the CAC training or contact the coalition for assignment details.