State calls for volunteers to help assess Utah homeless population
Deborah Wilber, Standard-Examiner file photo
Homeless residents take shelter underneath a gazebo near the Marshall White Center in the early morning hours on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023.OGDEN — Community help is being sought for an annual statewide effort to determine the population of people experiencing homelessness in Utah, including in Weber County. The “Point-In-Time,” or PIT, count will take place early in the morning on Jan. 30, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, from 4 to 6 a.m.
“Volunteers in small teams canvass the county in search of individuals residing in places not meant for human habitation,” Weber Housing Authority Executive Director Andi Beadles told the Standard-Examiner of the effort. “The goal is to identify and count all of those individuals who are residing in those places.”
The timing of PIT counts, which occur nationally, are determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“The reason we’re required to do it in January on the coldest day of the year is in an effort to identify those individuals who truly have nowhere else to go,” Beadles explained.
Local shelters will also be surveyed as part of the effort. According to Beadles, the accurate counting of homeless people plays a key role in determining how organizations can best serve the area population and what kinds of services can be provided.
“It’s critical for homeless service providers so that we — especially as the housing authority — can work to identify housing for this population among others,” Beadles said. “We use that number to identify what the needs of our homeless community are; if we need to invest more resources in mental health services, or in substance abuse treatment or in housing.”
Specifically, the PIT count numbers are used as organizations like Weber Housing Authority work to secure grants providing community resources.
The 2024 PIT count found that roughly 3,869 people around the state were experiencing homelessness at the time of the survey. 455 were counted in Weber County, which represented a year-over-year increase.
Beadles said that participants will be placed on walking or driving teams led by local service providers who have experience in both administering the survey and interacting with those experiencing homelessness. Each team will then be assigned to a certain area of the county for the duration of the effort. Virtual training is provided to volunteers prior to the count.
Those interested in volunteering must register with their local homeless coalition or county. Registration links can be found at https://endutahhomelessness.org/point-in-time-count/.
