Homeless aid tied to count
Many likely to elude survey
By Sarah Vos
LEXINGTON (KY) HERALD-LEADER STAFF
WRITER
Friday, January 07, 2004
On Jan. 24, between 8 and 10 p.m., advocates and volunteers will try to count Lexington's homeless. A cold night or drenching rain could push people into shelters, making the task easier.
Still, advocates say, counting people who don't want to be counted is always difficult.
"People who don't use shelters don't use shelters because they're really trying to avoid people," said Janice James, who is coordinating the count for the Central Kentucky Homeless and Housing Initiative.
Across the nation, groups that want federal money to combat homelessness will be counting those sleeping on the streets, under bridges and in shelters during the last week of January.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the agency that provides funding for homeless shelters, sent $14.2 million to Kentucky and $1.75 million to Lexington -- part of the $1.3 billion that the agency distributed nationally.
How much money each place gets is decided through a competitive grant process that includes a homeless count. But even HUD views the numbers skeptically.
"They're almost universally seen as undercounts," said Brian Sullivan, a spokesman for the agency.
Part of the problem is that a one-night count does not account for the person who is homeless in May but not January, Sullivan said. People who are chronically homeless -- those who haven't had a place to live for more than a year or have been without a home four times in the past three years -- are more likely to be counted.
The easy part is adding up the numbers from shelters, transitional housing, day shelters and other places where those who don't have homes receive services, James said. The hard part is counting people who avoid shelters and rarely use services.
Last year, Lexington counted 770 adults and 177 children who were homeless. Of those, 89 were living in camps or on the street. In 2003, the city had 730 adults and 165 children who were homeless. Of those, 154 were living in camps or on the street.
According to Jeff Roback, who coordinated the 2004 count, the reason for the drastic decrease in the number of homeless outside shelters is methodology. In 2003, the number was an estimate. In 2004, volunteers tried to physically count those living in camps or on the street.
This year, the number is likely to change again, because the methodology has changed. In addition to going to camps, volunteers will set up five stations offering coffee and doughnuts at churches where free meals are served and other places where people know they can go for help.
And the camp search -- which includes places like the railroad tracks behind the Hope Center -- will be more thorough, according to David Co-zart, who went to the camps last year.
The group has more volunteers, who will cover more areas where people are living.
Police officers have agreed to accompany them or stay nearby. And shelters have put the word out about the count, in an attempt to persuade more of the homeless to participate.
Last year, Cozart didn't see many people at the camps. "Generally we saw where their bedding was, places where they're hiding clothes or whatever belongings they may have," he said.
Cozart said they tried to estimate the number of people based on what they found. This year, he hopes to find people.
Even with a more thorough search, no one expects to account for every homeless person in Fayette County.
"Lots of people look for places where they're not going to be seen, and they can sleep through the night undisturbed," James said.
Reach Sarah Vos at (859)231-3309, 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 3309, or svos@herald-leader.com.