- Early Wednesday morning, a group of volunteers set out to participate in the annual Point in Time (PIT) Count.
- The number of people counted in the streets is categorized as "unsheltered homeless" and will be combined with those staying at local shelters and hotels as the "sheltered homeless" for the final PIT Count total.
- Seventeen were counted Wednesday by volunteers, but that number is likely to increase after vacant encampments are rechecked.
Several volunteer groups embarked at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday morning for a nationwide PIT Count.
Sheryl Sabo-Grieve and Steve Castle, employees at the Jackson Interfaith Shelter, were part of the group of volunteers.
Sheryl explained that the purpose of the PIT Count is to get the number for the "unsheltered homeless," requiring them to climb under viaducts and jump fences to find the homeless wherever they are.
That number of people found, along with those living at the T.A. Wilson Shelter, Interfaith Shelter, and local hotels, will also be included in the PIT Count as "sheltered homeless."
Steve shares his experience doing his fifth PIT Count, "For the ideal, a PIT Count would have zero people on the street.
It's kind of a mixed bag that it's exciting to not find someone on the street, but you want to make sure you are locating somebody if they're out there."
Each group is assigned a different area of the city to search with a set of instructions.
These locations are often inhabited by Jackson's homeless population. Sheryl explains that when doing a PIT Count, fresh snow is helpful since it's easier to see tracks and footprints.
During their count Wednesday, they also found hanging blankets and clothes that indicated someone had been inhabiting a certain spot.
The total from 2023's PIT Count was 38. The total from Wednesday morning was 17. However, some encampments must be rechecked before getting a final total.
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