January 12, 2015 Volunteer for the 2015 Homeless Count Houston's most vulnerable population, our homeless community, includes children, families and veterans. To adequately fund services which are crucial to helping the homeless find and maintain stable housing, we must know the size of the need. Please join the City of Houston's effort to eliminate homelessness by volunteering for the annual Homeless Count conducted by the Coalition for the Homeless. In the 2014 Homeless Count, volunteers really stepped up and made a huge difference. Volunteer efforts helped document a 37% decrease in homelessness from 2011-2014. We appreciate these efforts and rely heavily on volunteers to help with the count each year in several areas including: surface teams, specialized outreach teams and experienced survey teams. The 2015 Homeless Count will take place on Thursday, January 22, 2015, from 5:30 - 11:30 p.m. If the first count is compromised due to poor weather or another intervening event, a contingency count will be conducted on Thursday, January 29, 2015. To register (link: https://www.homelesshouston.org/take-action/volunteer/homeless-count/), simply fill out the registration form. Deadline to register is Wednesday, January 14, 2015. Once registered to volunteer, you will be assigned to one of 10 staging areas. On Thursday, January 15, 2015, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., required training will be held at all 10 locations. Click here (link: https://www.homelesshouston.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/2015-PIT-Staging-Area-List-5.pdf) to view the training and staging locations. Assignments are based on your preference and the volunteer need. Mayor Parker's goal of ending chronic homelessness by 2016 has positioned Houston as one of the nation's leaders in offering permanent and transitional housing and services. The city has invested $25 million in homeless prevention since 2013 and has an additional $15.2 million planned through the Housing and Community Development Department (HCDD) grant sources for 2015. HCDD is leading the charge with already $40 million invested in homeless services since 2013. The annual Homeless Count will help continue to measure the progress on ending homelessness in Houston. For more information on how to participate in the Homeless Count, contact Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County Project Manager Gary Grier at ggrier@homelesshouston.org or 832.531.6006. To learn more about the Mayor's Homeless Initiatives, volunteer opportunities and how you can get involved in housing Houston's homeless, visit https://www.thewayhomehouston.org/take-action.
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