About the project
Volunteers with the Williamson County Homeless Coalition will be trained to conduct a point-in-time count to determine the number of unhoused individuals in the area.
On the night of the count, around 50-75 volunteers will use a survey provided by the Texas Homeless Network to ask the homeless community demographic questions regarding their age, race and gender, along with more personal questions.
“We want the community to start engaging with folks that are living unsheltered and see them as their neighbors, so we encourage conversation beyond the survey,” said Christel Erickson-Collins, vice chair of the Williamson County Homeless Coalition.
Volunteers in groups of three to four split up to drive around and look for unhoused individuals for the PIT count, said Janette Gaudiesus, a Williamson County Homeless Coalition member. Cars, streets and parks are checked, along with local food banks earlier in the day.
“The numbers are very helpful in determining what's actually happening and to determine, possibly, what services could be added in our local area,” Gaudiesus said.
Zooming out
Helpful resources for people experiencing homelessness in the Austin metro include the Round Rock Area Serving Center, Community First! Village, The Charlie Center and The Caring Place. Challenges can arise with the locations of these resources as homeless individuals don’t always want to relocate, Erickson-Collins said.
“People from Williamson County often want to stay in Williamson County—they don't want to move to a new community,” Erickson-Collins said. “It would be really nice for us to have housing options for our neighbors here.”
The Williamson County Homeless Coalition started in 2019, according to previous Community Impact reporting. For safety and privacy, the coalition will share the PIT count date internally as it gets closer, Erickson-Collins said. The coalition is actively looking for more volunteers, and those interested can email [email protected] for more information.
