Volunteers needed for Thurston homeless census scheduled for Jan. 23
The 2020 count of people experiencing homelessness in Thurston County is set for Jan. 23. And while the aim of the annual census is the same as in years past, the county is changing some key aspects of its approach in hopes of getting a more accurate count.
Last year’s homeless census counted 800 people living outdoors, in emergency shelters, and in transitional housing — a decrease from 2018, when the census found 835 people were homeless.
Advocates weren’t convinced that dip in the population was accurate and named a few possible reasons for the undercount, such as people not giving their names, one shelter that had participated in the past opting out, and another shelter undergoing renovations.
An undercount is a problem because the results of the census, in part, help determine government funding for local shelters and other supportive services.
This year, Thurston County is organizing the count, rather than contracting it out to the City of Olympia as it has in recent years. Homeless Prevention and Affordable Housing Coordinator Keylee Marineau says it was “placed on her lap very lovingly” by the city.
The county hired Faith Addicott, who supported the 2018 census with the City of Olympia, to coordinate this year’s effort.
“I think we’re becoming more and more aware that regional response is more effective, that we do better work when we support each other’s efforts and acknowledge that communities know what’s best for them,” Addicott said in an interview with The Olympian.
Census events, in general, will be streamlined this year, Marineau said, with jurisdictions hosting their own counts and planning events. And seven-day counts will be conducted in places that lend themselves to that sort of strategy more than a moment-in-time tally, such as Stonewall Youth, CIELO, Nisqually, Capital Recovery Center, and ROOF Community Services in Rochester.
In those cases, surveys asking “Where did you sleep on the night of the Jan. 22?” will be kept at an organization and filled out over the course of the week, Marineau said.
Marineau specifically called out the outreach efforts to CIELO, which provides services to immigrants, and Nisqually as exciting developments in this year’s count at a Board of Health meeting Tuesday, saying those communities are “over-represented within homeless systems” and typically under-counted.
Among other changes to the count this year: Increased outreach to encampments and a re-formatted survey that’s more user-friendly. Organizers also created a supplemental youth form to gather more data on that population.
In a county commission work session earlier this month, Addicott said she aims to have preliminary data from the count ready to share in March.
Addicott told The Olympian that the census could take between 130 and 140 volunteers to accomplish. People wishing to volunteer should email pitcensusteam@co.thurston.wa.us.
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 9:46 AM.
.jpg)