Murphy – Cherokee County is gearing up for its annual “point in time” count, a census of the homeless population taking place simultaneously throughout the nation.
Western North Carolina’s annual count of North Carolinian’s experiencing homelessness will take place on the evening of Jan. 29 and morning of Jan.30. The 2024 homeless count in Cherokee County totaled 218 individuals, according to data submitted by Four Square Community Action Inc., a nonprofit agency that provides services enabling disadvantaged population to become more self-sufficient.
“The mission of Four Square Community Action Inc. is to use collected funds to mobilize public and private resources to solve problems of poverty; to provide for effective participation of the disadvantaged populations in the planning and conduct of programs affecting their lives; and to serve as an advocate for the needs of disadvantaged populations,” according to the agency’s mission statement.
Four Square Community Action serves Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain counties and is organizing the “point in time” count in those four counties.
Of the 218 homeless people counted in the 2024 effort, 141 were unsheltered and nine were children. The remainders were: 26 with temporarily sheltered, such as homeless shelters or staying at the home of a friend or relative; 48 in jail; three in hospital.
Of the total, 57% were men and 43% were women.
Coming up
Local communities across western North Carolina will be enlisting the help of volunteers to survey people to find out where they slept on the night of Jan. 29, providing an in-depth look at homelessness in the region.
Volunteers will also gather information on those who are temporarily sheltered (hospitalized, homeless shelters, in detention centers, or staying temporarily with a friend), but lack a permanent housing plan.
“Our goal is to get the most accurate count possible, and we rely heavily on the support of volunteers,” said Maria Pedro, regional coordinator.
“Through the dedication of volunteers, we can effectively assess the extent of homelessness in WNC. Multiple agencies and volunteers will aid in the efforts; Four Square, DSS (Department of Social Services), Erlanger Western (Carolina Hospital), local safety agents such as EMS, volunteer fire departments, veterans groups, Reach, law enforcement agents, municipalities and community volunteers.”
The purpose of the Point-in-Time Count is to gain a deeper understanding of how many individuals and families are experiencing unsheltered homelessness, which includes living on the streets or in cars, RVs or other places that are not meant for human habitation. The goal is to count and interview every person possible who is experiencing homelessness.
“This is a challenging feat,” said Dr. Sue Lynn Ledford, executive director at Four Square Community Action, “but the information gathered will help local officials and agencies plan more accurately, set benchmarks to measure progress and help plan programs to appropriately address our local needs. Historically, most of WNC’s information has primarily been anecdotal and has not provided an accurate count of the families and individuals that are unhoused. Those that are currently unhoused are also invited to reach out on their own behalf.”
How to help
Volunteers are needed in all counties to work in teams to seek out and briefly interview those who are unsheltered. Virtual and live training will be held in advance of the actual count. A training session will cover the use of the survey tool, best practices for approaching and interviewing those experiencing homelessness including homeless youth and veterans.
A trauma-informed approach to PIT, and other necessary information to prepare volunteers for a successful experience will be addressed.
To volunteer or for more detailed information, email Maria Pedro at mpedro@brchs.com. For details regarding Cherokee, Clay or Graham counties, email Ledford at sue.ledford@foursq.org or call Four Square Community Action at 828-321-4475.
Each area of North Carolina may conduct counts differently, so reach out to the contact person listed above to volunteer and sign up for the training event for Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties. The point-in-time count is the only mandated count of all people experiencing homelessness that happens annually across the country.
The results of the point-in-time count are reported each year to Congress in the Annual Homeless Assessment Report. The AHAR is usually published by HUD about a year after the count is conducted.
This report also contains data on communities’ housing inventory, including all bed types – emergency shelters, transitional housing, permanent housing, and any other subsidy-based housing. This report, called the Housing Inventory Count, is meant to give a sense of each communities’ current housing capacity.
The Annual Homeless Assessment Report and the aggregated data from the PIT and HIC contained in it are often used to inform decisions about homelessness funding, policy recommendations and research.
