Volunteers needed for homeless county Feb. 23

Volunteers are needed Wednesday, Feb. 23, to participate in the Point in Time Count, an annual tally of the sheltered and unsheltered homeless population. Originally planned for Jan. 26, the event was delayed because of an increase in COVID-19 cases.

The count is a U.S. Census of the unsheltered. Like the census everyone fills out, it counts and categorizes homeless people to distribute about $350 billion in federal funding.

Tammie Bratton, assistant director of housing services for Family Counseling, is organizing the event. Family Counseling will lead the count for the counties of Butler, Wayne, Ripley, Carter and Stoddard.

Those who want to help have to fill out the volunteer application, which may be obtained by calling Bratton at 573-686-1200 ext. 3289, or emailing her at tammie.bratton@fccinc.org.

While filling out the application is required for those volunteering, Bratton said, “it would be great if I could know ahead of time how many volunteers I have and which county they are wanting to participate in, but it’s not required.”

Bratton will conduct a meeting with the volunteers at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 23, at her office 3005 Warrior Lane in Poplar Bluff, before heading out into the communities. She will return to the office at about 3 p.m.

“It would also be great if they could be there for the morning meeting,” she said,

Volunteers don’t have to agree to work any certain number of hours and they may select the hours they wish to work.

Volunteers will be going into the community with packets seeking homelessness, getting information from homeless people and returning information to Bratton.

“Volunteers can buddy up with someone from our agency or go as a group,” she said. “We don’t recommend going alone. We will have a quick lesson before leaving about how to interact with people and how to fill out the paperwork.”

The survey is set up to be completely anonymous, with no personal identifiers for the homeless. The anonymity is to encourage participation. The count asks questions such as demographic mix of gender, race, sexual orientation, age and the specific issue contributing to their homeless status.

The PIT count in Poplar Bluff and adjoining areas will help determine the size and programs to which grants are awarded. The count is the only way government has to determine the size, location, and mix of the homeless population, according to organizers, as they are a fluid demographic.

Angela Webb of Poplar Bluff is the housing supervisor for Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri and shared the names of agencies in the area who receive funding,

Webb said in Butler and Ripley counties that would include currently Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, Department of Mental Health, SEMO Christian Restoration, Family Counseling Center and Great Circle.

In Stoddard, those agencies are Help on Hand, Family Counseling Center, Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation, Habitat for Humanity and Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri.

“These programs have assistance for all of the groups, veterans, victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, pregnant women and children, as well as families,” Webb said.

Every agency or program has its niche and focuses on a certain population or group.

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri has programs specifically for veterans (Supportive Services for Veteran’s Families), pregnant women (Healthy Mom’s, Healthy Babies), housing programs for those who are homeless and those who are at-risk for being homeless, such as the State Assistance for Housing Relief program, and also assistance in applying for food stamps.

Other agencies have case managers and programs for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, who know how to address their specific needs.

Funds are awarded based on applications to the Missouri Housing Development Commission, Webb said.

Webb said, “one of the biggest things I would want people to know is that homelessness affects every town and city in Missouri.”

Some individuals are fortunate to find help on their own, but others need agencies to help.

“So many families in the area are at-risk for being homeless, it wouldn’t take much for them to lose their housing.” Webb said. “One missed paycheck, one episode of COVID, one unexpected car repair; could put someone without the money to pay their rent and they could lose everything.”

Many of the clients she sees in her program just need a hand up to get back to self-sufficiency.

“They don’t want or need long-term housing assistance,” she said. “They may have had an issue with COVID or another illness and now they just need to get back on their feet.”

Normally, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development requires the count to occur biennially during the last 10 days of January to gauge progress toward national goals of reducing and ending homelessness. In addition to the biennial count required by HUD, the Missouri Balance of State Continuum of Care conducts an annual count to better track trends and needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri reached out to HUD to request an extension to execute the count, who granted the waiver for the Point in Time Count to be rescheduled.