The Tacoma-Pierce County Coalition for the Homeless is seeking the community’s help in connection with its annual one-day count of the county’s homeless population. The Point In Time Survey is scheduled for the day of Thurs., Jan. 24 and the late afternoon and evening of Fri., Jan. 25. Volunteers, who will be paired for safety, will attempt to locate all unsheltered homeless persons during the survey.
Needed are more than 100 community volunteers to visit homeless individuals and ask a few questions about their situations. Volunteers also will staff “Give Away” sites, where homeless persons can obtain personal items such as clothes, blankets and toiletries. Also needed are blankets, sleeping bags, jackets, socks, gloves, hats, scarves, duffle bags, non-perishable food, bottled water, can openers, flashlights/batteries, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, towels and feminine napkins.
“We encourage employees in government and private sector workplaces to ask fellow workers, friends or community members to volunteer or to organize donation drives,” said Troy Christensen, Homeless Coalition chair. Lynda Buchanan at (253) 798-6526 can be contacted if you would like to assist by volunteering and-or donating personal items.
Data collected during the annual survey helps provide a picture of the homeless issue in Pierce County, drives planning efforts such as the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness and leverages funding for homeless housing and services from the public and private sectors.