NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 25, 2022
CONTACT: Courtney Cochran,
Senior Planner, St. Louis County Public Health & Human Services
218-576-7226 (cell)
Annual homeless count in St. Louis County happening this week
Homelessness in St. Louis County is a persistent, complex problem that stems from many factors including a lack of affordable housing. But how many people are in this situation? And what effect have the challenges of the last two years had? Counting unsheltered individuals and families is the goal of an annual survey, which St. Louis County’s Public Health and Human Service Department is conducting on Thursday, January 27.
The County is working with community service providers, agencies, and volunteers to complete a federally required Point in Time Homeless Count. The purpose is to identify people who are experiencing homelessness and not staying in a shelter on the night of January 26.
The count seeks to survey all “unsheltered” individuals and families, or people whose primary nighttime residence is not fit for habitation. Examples include a car, park, abandoned building or storage unit, bus or train station, campground, ice house, or in the woods. The count also seeks to identify “doubled up” households – sometimes referred to as “couch-hopping” -- or those staying with family or friends on a short-term basis. People living in this situation meet the state’s definition of homeless.
This annual survey is vital because it helps define the scope and scale of the problem, and the data is used to determine federal funding awarded to fight homelessness. There is a coordinated effort to reach specific groups experiencing homelessness, including veterans, youth, communities of color, and those fleeing domestic violence.
St. Louis County will be collecting information to document where people experiencing homelessness spent the night of January 26. For citizens who have information about people who are experiencing homelessness and willing to complete a brief survey, surveyors will be at the following locations on Thursday, January 27:
Duluth:
Community Connect @ Damiano Center, 206 West 4th Street
Duluth Public Library, 520 West Superior Street
Union Gospel Mission, 219 East 1st Street
Salvation Army, 215 South 27th Avenue West
MAC-V, 5209 Ramsey Street
Virginia:
AEOA, 702 3rd Avenue South
Salvation Army, 507 South 12th Avenue West
People also can provide information by calling CHUM's Street Outreach at 218-461-8505.
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