One-Night Count "To Better Understand" The Homeless in Mesa?? Point In Time

Volunteers needed for count of homeless in Mesa 01-05-2017 at 2:11:03 PM The goal is to better understand how many individuals are experiencing homelessness in our community and be better equipped to meet their needs. The City of Mesa is looking for volunteers to participate in the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) 2017 Point-In-Time Homeless Count on Tuesday, Jan. 24 from 5 a.m. to noon.

How about DOING something to reduce the numbers of the homeless? [See above] From 2015-2016 the number increased by 26% These one-day counts are estimates only that fall way off the mark to get an accurate count. It's been your MesaZona blogger's experience that the visible homeless on the streets are reluctant to get noticed, especially when there is a notice - or word gets around - that they are going to get counted. The MAG 2017 Point-In-Time Homeless Count is a one-day street count to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness in Maricopa County during a given point in time.  The count includes a brief survey to identify some of the characteristics of people experiencing homelessness in our community. Cities, such as Mesa, that receive federal funding for homeless assistance from  HUD are required to conduct an annual comprehensive count. This helps local governments and nonprofit organizations more effectively allocate resources necessary to meet the needs of the homeless population. Volunteers, who must be 18 or older, will be deployed in groups of three or four to count and interview homeless individuals and their families in various parts of Mesa. The volunteers will be required to attend a volunteer training session prior to the count. The training session will be held Wednesday, Jan. 18 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Fire Station 201, 360 E. 1st St. An alternate training session will be held Monday, Jan. 23 in Phoenix at Bethany Bible Church, 6060 N. 7th Ave., from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. To register, visit www.mesaaz.gov/PITCount. The deadline for registration is Monday, Jan. 16 at 5:30 p.m. Public Information and Communications Contact: Kevin Christopher Tel. 480-644-4699 kevin.christopher@mesaaz.gov BLOGGER NOTES ON RELATED RESEARCH Published 12.05.16 1. Homeless Increases Skew toward the West Coast/Pacific A new NHIP Report using recently released HUD data on 2016 Point-in-Time sheltered and unsheltered homeless estimate show that 13 of the 15 Continuums with the largest increases in unsheltered homeless are all from West Coast/Hawaii states or those neighboring (Idaho or Arizona). The 15 areas include:   Source: http://www.nhipdata.org/   Published 12.20.16 Homelessness among Adults with Serious Mental Illness rises In the latest 2016  estimates for one-day homelessness collected in January 2016, data show a rise of 3.6 percent in the estimated prevalence of homelessness among adults with serious mental illness (SMI).  The 2016 estimates from 402 Continuums across the country totaled 107,801 compared to 104,083 in 2015. Increases in sheltered and unsheltered homelessness among SMI persons were reported with a total of 61,846 in emergency or transitional shelters and 45,955 living in the streets, parks and other places not fit for human habitation. The NHIP has compiled a state-by-state prevalence report from the individual subpopulation reports.