Helping Hands
Volunteers needed to count Austin's homeless population
KVUE — An Austin nonprofit in the business of ending homelessness needs hundreds of volunteers this month to help count the number of people living on Austin streets. Ending Community Homelessness Coalition is looking for 500 volunteers on January 24 for the Point in Time count, an event happening the same day across the country.
"This is the one night of the year that we get to really go out there and capture who is really not receiving services," said ECHO Operations Manager Niki Paul.
Paul told CultureMap's reporting partner KVUE that during the count in January 2014, volunteers identified more than 1,450 people living in area shelters and another 450 were found living on the streets. According to Paul, the numbers help with federal funding and resources which work to get the homeless off the street.
Volunteers receive training before going out in groups, some starting early in the morning on January 24. "Everybody that I know that has done the Point in Time count in the past has walked away a changed person," said Paul.
As of publication, 200 people had signed up to volunteer for the count. For more information on how you can help, please go here.
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To read the full story and to watch the video, head to KVUE.