1. Burke County 2009 Point in Time Count of homeless people Martha Hemphill, Facilitator Burke County Continuum of Care For the Homeless

2. What is the Burke Continuum of Care? The Continuum of Care is a collaboration of community agencies and organizations that provide services to the homeless and those at risk of homelessness The Continuum of Care works cooperatively to assess homeless needs and resources in order to help them reach maximum self-sufficiency The Continuum of Care is recommended by HUD as a comprehensive and strategic approach to addressing homelessness

3. Why Count? Funder requirements--Continuum of Care application and other non-HUD funding Obtain current and accurate data on the number and characteristics of homeless persons for program planning to justify requests for additional funding of resources Policy and planning decisions--plan for future services Public awareness

4. What does it mean to count homeless people? A “Count”=collecting information about the sheltered and unsheltered homeless population in Burke County Data on the number of homeless people + Descriptive information On those counted Demographic Service use Needs = Point-in-time Count of Homeless people

5. Benefits of Accurate Data on Homelessness Communities need accurate data to: Make funding recommendations to elected officials Determine the size and scope of homelessness at the local level Track local trends of homeless population Plan services and programs to appropriately address local needs Measure progress in addressing homelessness Measure performance of individual programs and the systems as a whole

6. Local Data on Homeless 167 people were counted as homeless 55% were male 21% were female adults 24% were children 41% consisted of two or more persons identified as a family 70% were sheltered (emergency, transitional, seasonal) 30% lived in places not designed for human habitation 97% were citizens of Burke County

7. Local Data on Homeless subpopulations 5% were identified as chronically homeless 25% were identified as seriously mentally ill 42% had diagnosable substance abuse disorders 16% were veterans 16% had been discharged from the criminal justice system in the previous 30 days

8. Trends 12% increase in homelessness from the 2008 census 41% increase in homelessness over the past 3 years 18% decrease in the chronically homeless 75% increase in the number of women, children and families who are homeless

9. Gaps in Services Resources that target homeless prevention Emergency shelter and services Sufficient units for women and families Transitional housing for ex-offenders Supportive housing for veterans

10. Recommendations Develop and coordinate resources for homeless prevention Seek and secure funding for gaps in services Work cooperatively with local government entities to target and develop shelter and services for groups at risk Work with local governments, agencies and businesses to develop rapid re-housing opportunities for the homeless Work closely with city and county leaders to implement accessible and affordable supportive housing Request a representative from local governments to work with the Burke Continuum of Care to develop a strategic plan to end homelessness