NEWS BRIEFS
Homeless people gather on Central Avenue in Sarasota in early 2013. Photo by Norman Schimmel
ANNUAL HOMELESS CENSUS TO BE UNDERTAKEN IN COUNTIES
The Suncoast Partnership to End
Homelessness, working in tandem with its
partners and volunteers, will be conducting
the Annual Homeless Census on the night of
Monday, Jan. 27, the nonprofit organization
has announced.
Known as a "Point-in-Time" count, this national
survey focuses on who is homeless during a
single night in January, and "it captures substantially more demographic information"
than the survey done in the fall for homelessness consultant Dr. Robert Marbut, who was
hired by the City and County of Sarasota, a
news release points out.
"The results of this survey are critical to targeted planning to meet the needs of families
and individuals experiencing homelessness,"
the release explains. "This required survey
qualifies the region for nearly $800,000 in
federal funding through the Department of
Housing and Urban Development."
The programs benefiting in this current funding cycle are Catholic Charities Diocese of
Venice's Our Mother's House and Casa San Jose
programs, the Salvation Army of Sarasota's
F.A.I.T.H. program, Harvest Tabernacle and
Renaissance Manor/CASL, the release notes.
"In addition, smaller federal grants support
planning and the continued improvement of
the data and case management software that
providers need to coordinate services," the
release says.
Volunteers are still needed to assist both
during and after the count, the release continues. Anyone interested in volunteering in
Sarasota County may contact the Volunteer
Community Connections office at connectingvolunteers.org or by calling 953-5965.
