Us
Print
E-mail
Rate
Annual survey could push homeless to scurry
Count of those with no home cause for concern.
By JEFF M. HARDISON
If homeless people know when a survey is going to be conducted as a method to count them, they will hide, according to Jennifer Lee, homeless coordinator of the United Way of Suwannee Valley.
Known as the Point In Time Survey, a census of homeless individuals determines the amount of grant funding given from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to various organizations that help the homeless, Lee said.
The more homeless served by a coalition, the bigger the grant from the federal government.
A survey of homeless coalitions in Florida showed many were non-responsive in regard to the question of whether the homeless hide when being counted via the PITS.
Two out of seven agencies randomly selected from homeless coalitions throughout Florida returned calls. One listing is no longer connected with homeless issues and an Alachua County agency is so busy that there was no room on its answering device to leave a message to seek a return call.
Opinions from responders were split concerning whether a newspaper article listing dates of the 24-hour period when the PITS would occur would cause the homeless to hide.
“I don’t know why anyone would say that (homeless will hide from the PITS). We’ve published the dates before,” said Mark Spiker, executive director of the Homeless Coalition of Polk County. “I have no problem with publishing it.”
Farther south, a homeless coalition leader cautiously agreed with Lee’s contention.
“They are very private individuals,” Charlotte County Homeless Coalition Executive Director Rebecca Foote said. “If they knew the date, then perhaps they would not be around their camps when we came to count them.”
Speaking on behalf of the HUD district served from the Jacksonville Office, Matt Stewart did not answer whether HUD believed homeless people would hide from being counted if they somehow saw a newspaper article showing the date of the census.
“We ask that our partners do the best they can to produce a count that reflects the true number of homeless persons in their respective continuums of care at a predetermined point in time,” Stewart said.
Speaking on behalf of the Florida Department of Children and Family Services, John Harrell of the Jacksonville office said the DCF is not involved with PITS.
The centers that failed to return calls were the Florida Coalition for the Homeless of Tallahassee, the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, the Homeless and Hunger Coalition of Northwest Florida in Panama City, United Way of Jacksonville and the Marion County Coalition of the Homeless.
Florida Gulf Coast University in the Fort Myers area was listed as a resource for homeless people, but a spokesman there said that is no longer the case. The Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry only had a message that its “voice mailbox,” or answering machine, was full.
The survey to determine the number of homeless people in Columbia County is scheduled for a date this winter.
“By its very nature, homelessness is impossible to measure with 100 percent accuracy. More important than knowing the precise number of people who experience homelessness is our progress in ending it,” the National Coalition for the Homeless notes on its Web site.
Known as the Point In Time Survey, a census of homeless individuals determines the amount of grant funding given from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to various organizations that help the homeless, Lee said.
The more homeless served by a coalition, the bigger the grant from the federal government.
A survey of homeless coalitions in Florida showed many were non-responsive in regard to the question of whether the homeless hide when being counted via the PITS.
Two out of seven agencies randomly selected from homeless coalitions throughout Florida returned calls. One listing is no longer connected with homeless issues and an Alachua County agency is so busy that there was no room on its answering device to leave a message to seek a return call.
Opinions from responders were split concerning whether a newspaper article listing dates of the 24-hour period when the PITS would occur would cause the homeless to hide.
“I don’t know why anyone would say that (homeless will hide from the PITS). We’ve published the dates before,” said Mark Spiker, executive director of the Homeless Coalition of Polk County. “I have no problem with publishing it.”
Farther south, a homeless coalition leader cautiously agreed with Lee’s contention.
“They are very private individuals,” Charlotte County Homeless Coalition Executive Director Rebecca Foote said. “If they knew the date, then perhaps they would not be around their camps when we came to count them.”
Speaking on behalf of the HUD district served from the Jacksonville Office, Matt Stewart did not answer whether HUD believed homeless people would hide from being counted if they somehow saw a newspaper article showing the date of the census.
“We ask that our partners do the best they can to produce a count that reflects the true number of homeless persons in their respective continuums of care at a predetermined point in time,” Stewart said.
Speaking on behalf of the Florida Department of Children and Family Services, John Harrell of the Jacksonville office said the DCF is not involved with PITS.
The centers that failed to return calls were the Florida Coalition for the Homeless of Tallahassee, the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, the Homeless and Hunger Coalition of Northwest Florida in Panama City, United Way of Jacksonville and the Marion County Coalition of the Homeless.
Florida Gulf Coast University in the Fort Myers area was listed as a resource for homeless people, but a spokesman there said that is no longer the case. The Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry only had a message that its “voice mailbox,” or answering machine, was full.
The survey to determine the number of homeless people in Columbia County is scheduled for a date this winter.
“By its very nature, homelessness is impossible to measure with 100 percent accuracy. More important than knowing the precise number of people who experience homelessness is our progress in ending it,” the National Coalition for the Homeless notes on its Web site.
 |
 |
|
| Gas price dips — will it stick? | Feds show new, vested interest in road safety |
