At least 30 individuals in Schuylkill County spent the night of Jan. 28 out in the cold.
That is the preliminary number of unsheltered individuals that were found during the third annual “point-in-time” count conducted last week by various human service agencies in the county.
The one-day count of sheltered and unsheltered people is used to estimate the number of people homeless in the county and identify any similar characteristics among the demographic, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The census serves as a benchmark for developing local and countywide strategies to prevent homelessness. HUD provides various funding for homeless assistance services to counties who participate in the counts.
“They use the numbers to determine what counties need funding,” Shawn Frankenstein, housing coordinator at Service Access Management, Pottsville, said. “Without this count, we would not be able to keep the grants we already have and we would not get new grants. It is bringing some new programs to help the homeless in the county.”
The county’s Local Housing Options Team has been planning the event since last year. Twelve locations throughout the county offered free lunches and served as base sites Jan. 28 through Friday as volunteers from various county agencies sought to find where individuals spent the night of Jan. 28. The date for the count is set each year by the federal government.
“We encountered a lot in Pottsville,” Frankenstein said. “That’s where most of the services and charitable organizations are. They kind of stay around that area.”
Frankenstein said they did not find any unsheltered families with children. Many of the individuals counted last week were not identified in previous surveys.
The county conducted its first point-in-time count in January 2013. Groups of volunteers searched the streets, abandoned buildings and wooded areas and found 13 individuals. Last year, search groups were used along with base sites at the Pottsville Soup Kitchen and Allied Services, Pottsville. That census identified 39 individuals as being homeless.
“This year, we really tried to partner with organizations already serving those in need,” Frankenstein said. “Through working with them, we were able to work with a lot more people, not just necessarily unsheltered individuals.”
In addition to a free meal, volunteers at the sites also offered grocery gift cards, canned food, donated clothing, hotel vouchers and other items. Volunteers conducted 18 surveys that asked individuals why and how long they were homeless. Not everyone was willing to be interviewed, Frankenstein said.
Volunteers provided information on the various services offered in the county and helped enroll them.
“There were individuals who were unaware of the some of the programs that can help them,” Frankenstein said. “Without the count, we would not be able to interact with those individuals.”
While the county does not have a homeless shelter designated for everyone, Schuylkill Women in Crisis operates a shelter for victims of domestic violence. SWIC and various other agencies in the county also have transitional housing programs that provide temporary residency while helping an individual secure permanent housing.
“Homelessness comes in any shape and form,” Frankenstein said. “There is no typical person that is homeless.”
Frankenstein said some of the unsheltered individuals were veterans and people with mental illnesses the prevented them from holding a job or a home. Two individuals were living in cars while another was staying in an abandoned building.
“That individual had some pipes burst in his home and had water in his basement,” Frankenstein said. “He couldn’t afford the repairs.”
Another person came back to the area from California to live with friends until he was kicked out, Frankenstein said. That individuals has since been living in his car.
“Even though the job market is recovering, it is not the best it can be,” Frankenstein said. “If someone loses their job, three months later, they can find themselves in this situation.”