Point-in-Time Count set for late January

Shontale Johnson of the U.S. Veterans Administration connected with vets during the 2024 Point-in-Time Count.

Our community is taking part in the annual Point-in-Time Count of those experiencing homelessness. Our survey on Jan. 28-30 will ask where our unhoused neighbors spent the night on Jan. 27. It covers those who are staying outdoors as well as those who are in shelters, hospital emergency rooms (and no fixed address), the warming center and other gathering places.

Our street outreach team and partners already visit every camp as often as possible to connect people with resources. They are making a concerted effort to know where people are camping before the count.

The Coalition’s Mac Lyons and Meg Zaletel help conduct the 2024 Point-In-Time Count.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Development directs continuums of care — the networks of those addressing homelessness — to conduct the count to monitor trends and provide data on the state of homelessness. ACEH is the lead organization for the Anchorage Continuum of Care. In addition to prescribed questions, our community will ask people who are staying outdoors why they weren’t in a shelter.

Those helping the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness with this year’s count include: AmeriCorps members, Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Covenant House Alaska, Henning Inc., RurAL CAP, SALA Medical, the U.S. Veteran’s Administration and outreach volunteers.