Point-In-Time Count helps Whatcom service providers connect with unhoused community
The Point-In-Time (PIT) Count is conducted every year to document people experiencing homelessness all across the country and gather demographic data about those populations.
The survey, which was conducted on Jan. 25 this year, is used to help local governments determine trends in homelessness over time and decide how to allocate resources to best support the unhoused community.
“The Point-In-Time Count is an important tool but it’s just one of many to understand homelessness in Whatcom County and other jurisdictions across the country,” said Chris D’Onofrio, housing program supervisor with Whatcom County Health and Community Services.
The count includes both sheltered and unsheltered individuals, as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This includes people sleeping in cars, encampments, and other places not meant for human habitation, as well as those staying in emergency shelters and transitional housing units on the night of the count.
“Looking at those demographics, it helps us direct the funding that we have to priority areas,” D’Onofrio said.
D’Onofrio said local agencies have historically faced challenges with accessing unhoused individuals in the more rural areas of Whatcom County and have also dealt with language barriers that impact the survey. He said many unhoused individuals simply choose not to participate for a variety of reasons.
“There’s no perfect way to count,” D’Onofrio said. “We know that this is a really narrow look at homelessness. And the way that we search for people, count people and relate to people further narrows who we end up including.”
The Point-In-Time Count can also be used by local service providers as a way to make connections and develop relationships with unhoused individuals.
“It’s just another tool to be used for me to have a conversation with a person and get to know them more,” said Lorelei Bowers with Bridge 2 Services Ferndale Community Services. “The number is important, yes. But as an outreach person, it’s that conversational piece that was most important. So I haven’t really focused on how many surveys I got done. It’s more about how many people I got the chance to talk to.”
Bowers participated in the PIT this year and said her team focused on areas in eastern Whatcom County, including the Nooksack Valley, Sumas, Everson, Blaine, Birch Bay and Ferndale, as well as a couple of encampments in Bellingham.
This is Bowers’ second year participating in the survey and told The Herald that, while the number is important, the connections she makes me people are why she participates.
“Even if there’s not a lot of surveys done, it’s that conversational piece, because it’s all about building those relationships with people,” Bowers said. “So even if they chose at the end to not do it — and there were some who chose not to do it — there’s this groundwork that’s being built for next year.”
Bowers found that many individuals were generally uninterested in participating. In fact, of the individuals Bowers spoke with, more people chose not to participate than chose to participate. As someone who was previously unhoused, Bowers said she understands that hesitancy. But she hopes the work that she puts in to speak with people still makes a difference in connecting individuals with services and support.
The total number of individuals counted in the survey will not be publicly released until midway through the year, but D’Onofrio said agencies are working to be more thorough with the count each year.
“We might see the numbers go up for a number of reasons. There are perhaps more people experiencing homelessness and we might be doing a slightly better job of counting them as well. That’s one of the reasons we try not to generalize too much from that big, headlined number.”
The number of unhoused individuals counted in last year’s Point-In-Time Count in Bellingham and Whatcom County was substantially higher than any other year, topping 1,000 people for the first time.
Overall, the number increased by 27% in 2023 to 1,059 in Whatcom County, according to the report, which was conducted in cities and states nationwide on Jan. 26.
This story was originally published February 2, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
