State conducts homeless count in WSOS service area

The 2010 point-in-time (PIT) count of the number of homeless residents in January in Wood, Sandusky, Ottawa and Seneca counties showed a marked increase in the number of homeless individuals and families in the WSOS four-county service area. The count, conducted Jan. 26, found that there were 746 individuals and families who were homeless with 537 having no shelter while the others were in emergency or transitional housing.

This figure is more than the 445 homeless individuals discovered in a similar count in January 2009. In 2009, of the 445 homeless, 215 had no shelter.

This count is done annually by organizations who received funding to serve the homeless. It is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD requires regularly occurring counts of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons for communities interested in applying for McKinney-Vento funding through the Continuum of Care (CoC) application process.

The count in Ohio is facilitated by the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO), and it is conducted around the state on the same day for the same time frame.

The county determined that there were 401 persons in families with children in the four-county area who had no shelter on the day the count was done. At the same time, there were another 173 persons in families with children who were in emergency or transitional housing. Those without children numbered 136 with no shelter while another 36 were in emergency or transitional housing.

The point-in-time count also counted the groups referred to as sub-populations of the homeless. This group includes those who are severely mentally ill, veterans, persons with HIV/AIDS, unaccompanied youth, victims of domestic violence, chronic substance abuse, and the chronically homeless. This group totaled 90 of which 25 were unsheltered.

WSOS administers grants that aid individuals and families who find themselves homeless. However, the number of people who request assistance annually far out weigh the funding WSOS receives.

For information on the homeless prevention programs operated by WSOS, call Donna Hamann, Wood County, 419-353-7407; Ann Hanko, Sandusky County, 419-334-8911; Pat Keys, Ottawa County, 419-734-2652; or Sue Madden, Seneca County, 419-447-0084, visit the website www.wsos.org, or e-mail at info@wsos.org.