The United Way of the Plains announced its need for volunteers to conduct the 2023 Point-In-Time Homeless Count for the Wichita and Sedgwick County area. The count will take place on Thursday, Jan. 26th from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The annual Point-In-Time Homeless Count is a national effort undertaken once a year by professionals and volunteers to estimate the number of Americans who don’t have safe and stable housing. The results are reported to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to study national trends and as part of the HUD grant requirements.

The count information is also used by the Impact ICT – Continuum of Care to make local funding decisions, study trends, reach underserved persons, and increase awareness about those who don’t have stable housing. Impact ICT – Continuum of Care is the community coalition led by United Way of the Plains. You can learn more here.

Those interested in volunteering can learn more here. Training will take place in early January, so volunteers are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible. Anyone who sees someone who appears to be homeless on that day should share that information with United Way 211 Information and Referral Service to ensure they’re included in the count. Dial 2-1-1 or text 898-211 with this information.

The last Point-In-Time Homeless Count in Wichita-Sedgwick County was conducted on February 24th, 2022. Results showed a total number of 690 homeless persons in Wichita-Sedgwick County compared to 619 in 2020. A complete count was not conducted in 2021 due to various service disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Check this link for more information about the latest count. Reports about past counts conducted across the nation can be found on the HUD Exchange website here.