Project Homeless Connect is a one-day event to help people living without homes easily access a variety of resources in one location
The annual Clark County Project Homeless Connect event is set for Thursday (Jan. 25) from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 400 S. Andresen Road in Vancouver. Project Homeless Connect is a one-day event to help people living without homes easily access a variety of resources in one location. Offerings include housing information, vision exams, glasses, haircuts, help signing up for social service benefits and healthcare, employment resources, clothing, hygiene items, foot washing, a pet clinic, and food. Anyone throughout the county who is without a home is encouraged to attend.
Interpreters will be at the event to assist people who speak Chuukese, Spanish, and Russian. Shuttles to and from the event from locations around the county will be available throughout the day. All shuttle rides begin at 9am. Locations include Living Hope Church, Couve Collective, and Value Motel. For Van-Trans Wheelchair shuttles, call 360-281-1120 as needed. The C-Tran Vine Bus 32, Red, stops near St. Joseph Catholic Church.
St. Joseph Catholic Church donates use of their facility, refreshments, volunteers, light breakfast, and hot lunch. The event is sponsored by Molina Healthcare, Southwest Washington Accountable Community of Health (SWACH), and Wellpoint. Couve Collective is coordinating logistics and volunteers for the event.
Flyers promoting the event and more shuttle details are at https://www.councilforthehomeless.org/project-homeless-connect/
Point In Time Count
On the same day, the annual countywide census of persons without homes, known as the Point In Time (PIT) Count, will take place. The count provides a one-night snapshot of what homelessness looks like in our community and contributes to state and national data, funding decisions, and resources. During the last 10 days of January, agencies and volunteers from across Washington State will collect data to comply with Washington State Department of Commerce requirements. Data from the Point in Time Count will be released in May 2024 after the data is de-duplicated and analyzed.
CFTH staff, staff from partner agencies, and trained community volunteers will divide the county into 13 outreach zones. Teams travel to the zones early Thursday morning and throughout the day to ask survey questions of people living outside, in a tent, in a trailer with no running water, in their car, or escaping domestic violence.
The PIT survey includes voluntary questions regarding the last permanent zip code, demographics, and the circumstances that contributed to homelessness. An important aspect of the count is to “de-duplicate” people who may be counted more than once that day in order to provide a more accurate count. People staying in Clark County shelters and transitional housing will all be counted through the local Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
Council for the Homeless is a non-profit organization that provides community leadership, compelling advocacy, and practical solutions to prevent and end homelessness in Clark County, WA. www.councilforthehomeless.org
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- Opinion: Pedestrian control signalsDoug Dahl explains Washington state law regarding crosswalks and pedestrian signals, offering safety insights and common misunderstandings about traffic control at intersection
- Letter: ‘How can five part-time legislators without research support or reliable access to information serve as an effective check on six full-time elected executives’Bob Zak expresses agreement with recent opinions on the Clark County Charter’s imbalance and endorses John Ley’s transit preference while questioning light rail costs and Council effectiveness.
- Cowlitz Indian Tribe and Columbia River Mental Health Services announce Letter of Intent to protect behavioral health servicesThe Cowlitz Indian Tribe and Columbia River Mental Health Services signed a letter of intent to transition behavioral health services under the Tribe’s care, ensuring service continuity across Southwest Washington.
Huh?
“… is a one-day event to help people living without homes easily access a variety of resources in one location. Offerings include housing information, vision exams, glasses, haircuts, help signing up for social service benefits and healthcare, employment resources, clothing, hygiene items, foot washing, a pet clinic, and food.” And this, boys and girls, is exactly why we have so many homeless. There are simply far too many free things being given to the homeless; why would they want not to be homeless when they get all this free stuff by staying homeless?
The homeless-industry has proven to be very lucrative here in Vancouver. There are BIG BUCKS to be made off the homeless. Jamie Spinelli, Vancouver City Homeless-Czar, and the non-profits such as Share don’t really want to clean it up… after all, their very livelihoods and existence depend on there being homelessness. And, yes, I am quite sure the “count in time” this week will show an increase over last year’s count. There’s lots of free stuff to encourage the homeless to stay homeless; there’s lots of money to be made by the non-profits off those increased numbers.
When the free stuff is discontinued, the drug-addicts and mentally-ill (comprising what, 85% of the homeless?) will all be looking for a more hospitable place to go. Fine with me; just leave. My sympathy for the homeless dried up a long time ago.