LOUISVILLE, Ky.(Jan. 16, 2018) – The Coalition for the Homeless, in partnership with Centerstone, has scheduled the 2018 Homeless Street Count for Thursday, Jan. 25, from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.. Conducted each year in January, the goal of the Street Count is to verify the number of people sleeping outdoors in Metro Louisville. The Coalition and its partnering homeless service providers rely heavily on volunteers for this effort and need hundreds of volunteers to help conduct the count again this year.
“The more volunteers we have, the more areas we can cover, and the greater our chances are of getting an accurate count,” says Natalie Harris, executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless. “The Street Count is a key part of making sure we are reaching the right people in our efforts.”
Anyone interested in participating can sign up at www.louhomeless.org. All volunteers must attend a mandatory training session on Wednesday, Jan. 24, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Hotel Louisville, located at 120 West Broadway. Volunteers will then meet at Hotel Louisville just before 4 a.m. on the morning of Thursday, Jan. 25 to break out into four-person teams and conduct the survey. After searching known homeless locations all over the county, volunteers are invited back to Hotel Louisville for a warm breakfast, provided by Aetna.
An accurate count is important in order to help plan how to best dedicate resources to the most vulnerable Louisvillians. In 2018, the Coalition and a committee of over 50 local providers aims to end homelessness among young adults age 18-24. Over the past several years, Metro Louisville has been successful in lowering the number of chronic street homeless and homeless veterans within our community due to concerted effort and funding for housing targeted to these populations.
For more information, visit www.louhomeless.org.
Add Comment