Thurston County’s homeless census count is underway. Here’s how it’s going so far
The annual homeless census, where officials and volunteers throughout the county survey and count people experiencing homelessness at one point in time, started Thursday night, but this year there are several more days of counting ahead.
Typically the official Point-in-Time Day happens on one morning early in the year. But this year it’s spread out across a week in hopes of counting and surveying more people, and to try to avoid spreading COVID-19.
Arielle Benson, homeless program specialist, said in the past the county has tried to do the count in one big push so it’s seen as more of an event. But due to the recent COVID wave of the Omicron variant, they had to rethink the approach.
“Any year we do a survey we have the flexibility to do it over multiple days,” Benson said. “Logistically it’s a lot easier to do it over a few days.”
Benson said with this approach there are outreach teams that engage specifically with certain areas and camps.
Last year the count was even more difficult to conduct due to the pandemic. Instead of surveying people and asking them for demographic information and their housing status, the count relied on visual observation — just the numbers. But Benson said she thinks it might have produced more accurate data than with surveying.
She said the Point-in-Time count has some methodological flaws since the person’s consent is required to survey them. It’s easier to just count heads. But the survey data helps cities and organizations truly understand the needs those who are surveyed have.
Friday could technically have been called Point-in-Time Day. By 11 a.m. volunteers had set up alongside the Olympia Free Clinic at the Salvation Army homeless shelter on Fifth Avenue. Benson said they set up there because the shelter offers free meals starting at 11 a.m.
The clinic partnered with the groups conducting the count in an effort to promote vaccines for people experiencing homelessness. Executive Director Katie Madinger said the pop-up clinic goes out once or twice a week to homeless encampments to provide care ranging from basic nursing needs to sending for prescriptions.
“We’re trying to go where folks are already spending time to see if we can meet up with them throughout the course of their day rather than make them seek out services,” Madinger said.
At the shelter, Madinger said a group of Saint Martin’s University nursing students were volunteering with their instructor for the count.
Only a handful of people had been interviewed at the shelter by late morning, but Benson said groups of volunteers went to Olympia’s Union Gospel Mission Thursday night and surveyed about 35 people who were there for the night.
She said city of Olympia teams went out Friday morning, and Olympia Mutual Aid Partners were conducting surveys in a few encampments as well. Yelm started their count Thursday night, Lacey’s Mobile Outreach team went out Friday and Tumwater is conducting theirs on Saturday.
Andrew Womack, who was surveyed for the count, said he likes some of the work the city of Olympia has done for people experiencing homelessness but that plenty more needs to be done.
“You definitely get the food you need every day,” Womack said. “It’s not hard to find food out here compared to other places I’ve been.”
Womack has lived in his trailer for a few years now. He said there needs to be more affordable housing resources for people and that he wouldn’t be in his current situation if he didn’t have to be.
He’s run into several problems over the years with living in a vehicle. He’s gotten parking tickets several times that add up quickly. He said he’s seen parking enforcement target homeless people.
A couple years ago, he said he parked his car at Lions Park facing the same direction as every other parked car. He said he was cited for parking the wrong direction, but none of the other cars received tickets.
He said he’s also had a resident call the city about him parking on the side of the road near their home.
“It’s a public roadway; taxpayer dollars pay for that roadway,” Womack said. “I should have just as much right to park there as anyone else does, regardless of if I’m living out of my trailer or not.”
He said he has a permanent spot for his trailer lined up, but he’s yet to get it there.
Benson said the Point-in-Time data is the best source of information for the cities, county, state and nonprofits to use when they’re writing grants for services such as affordable housing, shelters and permanent supportive housing. She said so far, more than $60 million has been garnered for these community services.
“By knowing the need in the community, it allows policy and decision makers to advocate and divert funding,” Benson said. “If you don’t know how many people are doing a thing, it’s really hard to advocate for funding for something if you can’t say that this is what the need is. It gives us a number to work with.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
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