| The Point-in-Time Count: A One-Night Survey Report |
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Documenting Chester County's Unsheltered Homeless
The Chester County Department of Community Development (DCD) is performing a countywide tally of homeless per sons on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 from 7 to 10 PM.
DCD is coordinating this count of unsheltered homeless with the help of over 30 volunteers.
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| How will this be done? |
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To accurately count the number of unsheltered homeless, volunteers will be walking the streets of West Chester, Coatesville, Kennett Square, Phoenixville, and other areas of the County.
In addition, we will be contacting emergency shelters, transitional housing providers, hospitals, fire stations, and police departments to determine if homeless individuals or families were encountered during the evening count.
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| Confirming a Demonstrated Need for Continuum of Care Services in Chester County |
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An accurate homeless person count is necessary in order to:
- Establish a baseline of our homeless population, so that we can track our progress toward reducing homelessness in Chester County;
- Improve the ability of government and service providers to plan and implement effective services;
- Increase public awareness of homelessness throughout Chester County, and;
- Apply for federal funds for supportive services and the creation of permanent housing.
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It is critical that every County agency providing housing for the homeless participate in this data collection effort.
Surveys will be distributed to all homeless-service agencies. We ask for them to be completed and returned to DCD by Noon on January 29, 2009.
If you or your agency can provide information for the volunteers on where to look for homeless persons, please contact Gene Suski at (610) 344.4707 or gsuski@chesco.org.
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