The homeless census gets a suspicious review from Fresno homeless activist Mike Rhodes below. If folks have any comments on the Santa Cruz version, please post them on the HUFF website at www.huffsantacruz.org –R.Norse
To: FresnoHomelessAdvocates@
From: MikeRhodes@comcast.net
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2013 12:26:06 -0800
Subject: [FresnoHomelessAdvocates] Fw: Fresno Homeless Point in Time Count [2 Attachments]
[Attachment(s) from Mike Rhodes included below]
Editor
Community Alliance Newspaper
PO Box 5077
Fresno Ca 93755
(559) 978-4502 (cell)
(559) 226-3962 (fax)
editor@fresnoalliance.com
www.fresnoalliance.com
Greetings Mr. Rhodes,
Every two years the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires communities to take a point-in-time census of their homeless populations to assist with local and national strategic planning. The homeless census helps our community advocate for resources to preserve and expand our safety net and makes our community eligible for federal funding for homeless services. The count also informs strategic planning as we work toward an end to homelessness.
This year the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care (FMCoC) will be conducting the homeless Point in Time count for a span of 3 days on February 25, 26, and 27, 2013. As Chair of the Outreach and Engagement Committee, I would like to invite you to volunteer with our community as we take to the streets to count and survey our homeless neighbors. Attached is our flyer providing more information about the Point in Time count and a volunteer application form. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Regards,
Melissa Mikel
Melissa Mikel
Homeless Initiatives Coordinator
mmikel@fresnohousing.org
Fresno Housing Authority
1331 Fulton Mall
Fresno, California 93721
559-443-8400 ext 4109
(800) 735-2929 TTY
www.fresnohousing.org
Vibrant Communities. Quality Housing. Engaged Residents.
Homeless numbers: Workers fan out for census in Santa Cruz County
By Stephen Baxter
SANTA CRUZ — Workers in a homeless census fanned out in the predawn light Tuesday, tallying the homeless on the streets and in hidden campsites across Santa Cruz County.
The biannual census tries to provide a snapshot of the number of homeless in the county so programs and services can be geared toward them. The federal government requires the census for homeless service groups to be eligible for federal money.
This year, for the first time, census participants were asked to estimate age groups in three categories: 17 and younger, age 18 to 25, and age 26 and older.
“We’re trying to get everyone out on the streets,” said Susan Brutschy, president of Watsonville-based Applied Survey Research, which conducts the study.
Santa Cruz City Councilman Don Lane, who participated in Tuesday’s census, added that the federal government has pushed recently for more services for homeless youths.
“I think there’s a real interest in who’s in that category,” Lane said. He added that he appreciated the overall data. “Otherwise, it’s so anecdotal,” he said.
Full results of the census are expected to be released in spring. In the 2011 homeless census, about 2,700 homeless were counted in the county, down from roughly 3,370 homeless in 2005.
Workers in Tuesday’s census met at the Homeless Services Center on Coral Street in Santa Cruz — as well as in Watsonville, Felton and Aptos. Groups typically included a volunteer and a guide
who was homeless to help find sites with which they were familiar.
The groups were assigned areas and given maps before they headed out in cars.
Because there were fewer volunteers and workers this year than in previous censuses — about 50 — some groups were assigned two areas to cover before 10 a.m. Guides were paid $10 an hour.
A 50-year-old homeless woman was paired as a guide with Cheryl Ruby, a counselor at the River Street Shelter in Santa Cruz.
In the 39-degree morning, the two women peered into wooded areas such as the greenbelt between Highway 1 and Plymouth Street in Santa Cruz. They both recognized people they knew who lived on the streets and rode bikes or carried sleeping bags.
“To count the ones camping, you have to be up at 6 a.m. because they’re up,” the woman said. She didn’t want her name used because she has camped illegally.
Outside a fast-food restaurant, doughnut shop and gas station on Ocean Street, they spotted homeless men headed to an 8 a.m. breakfast provided by the Homeless Services Center on Coral Street.
Census workers were told not to talk to their subjects or to rouse them if they were asleep. Safety was the first priority, Brutschy said.
“This is an observational count,” she said. “And we have a lot of ground to cover.”
Ruby and her guide counted about 30 homeless men and two women in their area by about 9:30 a.m. Another group that went to downtown Santa Cruz counted about 150 homeless.
The woman who acted as the guide said she understood why city and Santa Cruz County law enforcement had recently cleaned up the camps.
“I can see why the city’s upset because they leave garbage everywhere,” the homeless woman said. “I don’t leave garbage.”
The woman added that she recently stayed at a shelter and worked in its laundry room — but she was still finding her way. Finding a shower, clean clothes and transportation to appointments are daily challenges.
“It’s hard to get a job when you’re homeless,” she said.
Follow Sentinel reporter Stephen Baxter on Twitter at Twitter.com/sbaxter_sc
By the numbers
Number of homeless in Santa Cruz County according to a homeless census.
2000 3,329
2005 3,371
2007 2,789
2009 2,265
2011 2,771
SOURCE: Applied Survey Research