Volunteers Still Needed for Homeless Count

Volunteers are still needed in Door and Kewaunee counties for the semi-annual count of homeless people that takes place July 27 from 11 pm to 2 am.

“We physically go out into the community and look for people without shelter for the night,” said Kate Markwardt of the Lakeshore Community Action Program (CAP) office in Manitowoc, who helps coordinate the counts in the four counties Lakeshore CAP oversees – Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc and Sheboygan.

Volunteers can sign up together as a team or as individuals, although for safety reasons, teams are encouraged. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age.

The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) requires counts of the homeless throughout the country on the last Wednesday of January and July. They are known as Point-In-Time, or PIT, counts, and are intended to create a snapshot of homelessness in the communities surveyed. The data collected is reported in the Annual Homelessness Assessment Report provided to Congress.

Markwardt said there are two main purposes to the count: to get an accurate count of unsheltered people and to provide them with information to help get them off the streets.

Volunteers are essential to the success of the count, Markwardt said, pointing out that Lakeshore CAP has only four staff members.

“That makes it very difficult to cover four counties, so we recruit from the community as best we can,” she said. “In Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties we general have a pretty good record of getting people interested in helping us. “To be honest, we haven’t had a lot of success in getting volunteers to help in Door and Kewaunee counties. Sandy Soik at our Sturgeon Bay office has helped as best she can, but that’s just one person.”

While she notes that the number of homeless people in Door and Kewaunee counties may not be great, homeless people do exist.

“They may just be more well hidden. Or we just don’t happen to find them. Part of the reason we might not find them in your communities is that we don’t have enough staff to look there,” she said. “We have to cover the county. Where are homeless people likely to be? Probably not Fish Creek. Sturgeon Bay would be our focus. But people can report from any part of the county if they think there are homeless people somewhere. If you’re sleeping in your car and you don’t have a place to stay, that counts as literally homeless.”

Asked what the approach is once volunteers have identified a homeless person, Markwardt said it is up to the volunteer how to proceed.

“If you are uncomfortable approaching someone, you can observe and guess at demographic information on the paperwork,” she said. “If you are comfortable approaching someone, then you can go and get personal information from them. We also then offer them referral to services and information to help them get off the street.

To become a volunteer or if you know of areas where homeless people may be staying, contact Kristina Van Egeren or Kate Markwardt at 920.682.3737.