Courtney Morton
Mecklenburg County Community Support Services
The 2019 Point-in-Time Count will take place on Wednesday, January 30, 2019.
The Point-in-Time Count is when our community comes together to count the number of people who are experiencing homelessness on the streets and in temporary shelters throughout Mecklenburg County. The Point-in-Time Count is a required activity and is connected to the federal funding that Charlotte-Mecklenburg receives for the Continuum of Care (CoC). However, our community goes above and beyond to use the Point-in-Time Count as a way to both raise awareness about housing and homelessness and to collect data that can inform local decision-making.
To read more about why we do the Point-in-Time Count and why you might consider giving your time to it in 2019, read this post.
WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING EFFORTS?
We are getting ready for the 2019 Point-in-Time Count and want to share opportunities to get involved early in the planning process. This includes helping to plan the sheltered and unsheltered count operations as well as updating the content of the survey that we use to collect information to inform local decision-making. If you are interested in helping with these early planning efforts, please email pit@mecknc.gov
HOW DO I GET INVOLVED IN THE COUNT?
Please look for more information in December on how to sign up to volunteer to conduct surveys in January. In addition to conducting surveys, you can also get involved now by donating winter weather items, creating toiletry kits and raising awareness about the Point-in-Time Count and housing and homelessness issues. You can learn more about these engagement opportunities by visiting the official Point-in-Time Count website: EverybodyCountsCLT.org
POINT-IN-TIME COUNT KICK-OFF EVENT
We will officially kick-off the 2019 Point-in-Time Count in early January with a community event. The event will include a presentation of the 2018 findings, information about what’s new in 2019 as well as engagement opportunities leading up to the actual count. This is a great opportunity for new volunteers to learn more about why we do this important work each year. Please look for the save the date information about the event in the next weeks.
SO, WHAT
The Point-in-Time Count is more than another data point for our community. It also provides an opportunity for Charlotte-Mecklenburg to raise awareness about housing and homelessness. This starts at the beginning of the planning process and will continue beyond January 30. Please join us in the work to end and prevent homelessness by getting involved – there are many ways to participate and make a difference.
To sign up for regular Point-in-Time Count updates, please email pit@mecknc.gov.
Courtney Morton coordinates posts on the Building Bridges Blog. Courtney is the Housing & Homelessness Research Coordinator for Mecklenburg County Community Support Services. Courtney’s job is to connect data on housing instability, homelessness and affordable housing with stakeholders in the community so that they can use it to drive policy-making, funding allocation and programmatic change.
