Rockland Participates in Annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count

Rockland Daily Staff

Last week, Rockland County participated in the Point-in-Time count of the homeless, required by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

For a twenty-four-hour period, communities that receive federal funds are required to conduct a count of all sheltered and unsheltered individuals during the last week of January each year. Unsheltered counts are done annually and are important because they establish the level of homelessness in each community. The data is vital for organizations to utilize for service delivery, outreach and to determine funding for the next year.

Rockland Continuums of Care, Rocklands Department of Social Services, and county volunteers assisted in this year's count. Volunteers for the count worked in teams after receiving training before the process.

Several additional organizations also assisted, including Helping Hands and The Haverstraw Center, which provided showers, laundry services, haircuts, clothing distribution, and meals to individuals.

The final count will be issued in several weeks once the data has been compiled and is reconciled.

Photo Credit: Rockland County Government