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SUMMIT COUNTY - Early next week, Colorado will conduct its first statewide homeless count in 17 years, and local agencies and nonprofits will participate, trying to gauge the extent of the problem here in the High Country.
The point-in-time survey is intended to provide a snapshot to help state and local governments understand the causes of homelessness - to assist with statewide planning efforts and the allocation of resources and to create public awareness that homelessness is a statewide concern.
"What we're hoping is that, once the count is completed, lawmakers and decision-makers will re-legislate and re-allocate funds to appropriately serve the homeless population and to try and get more funds," said Matt Korn, general assistance coordinator with the Family and Intercultural Resource Center in Dillon.
"There are a couple new definitions as to who qualifies for homeless status," Korn said at a training session for survey workers in Frisco last week. Locally, the focus is primarily on two groups, Korn said. First, people who are living in long-term campsites in the National Forest, and secondly, people who might fall into a "transitional" homeless category - in between jobs and residences.
"Regardless of what has led you to camp in the woods, please come to the Family & Intercultural Resource Center in Dillon Tuesday, Aug. 29, to participate in the survey," Korn said.
The center is offering a free lunch between 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. that day, not just for forest campers, but also for the "couch-surfing" homeless population, Korn emphasized. Participants will also receive a $5 voucher for the Summit Thrift and Treasure store. All the information collected on the two-page survey will remain confidential.
The count begins 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, and runs through 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29.
Korn said he would try and visit some of the known homeless camping sites in Summit County in advance of the survey to extend one-on-one invitations.
"What we're trying to do is establish a benchmark and raise awareness that there's homelessness across the state, not just in the metropolitan areas," said Doug Wayland, education director for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.
Wayland said the homeless population has been expanding into outlying areas in recent years.
"The real dramatic trend is that it's impacting families more and more," he said. A Denver homeless count last year showed that 58 percent of the estimated 10,000 homeless people in the city are families with kids.
Statewide numbers are hard to come by, thus next week's count.
"It's a difficult population to enumerate," Wayland said. "If we have a greater understanding of the causes if homelessness, and who the homeless are, we have a better chance of finding a long-term solution."
Wayland said the cost of reacting to homelessness far outweighs the cost of setting up proactive programs.
'Transitional' homelessness
Local nonprofits that have contact with homeless people include the Dillon Community Church.
Frank Butler, of the church's food bank and benevolence committee, said the nature of homelessness in Summit County is somewhat different from what people might think of.
"We see sort of a seasonal pattern," Butler said, describing a September influx of people from all over the country who arrive with the expectation of landing a resort job upon arrival.
"Some of them come with no money, no driver's license. They expect to get a job, but it doesn't start right away, so they end up being stuck without resources," Butler said.
That is described as a sort of "interim" homelessness by Carolyn Miller, of House with the Red Door, a Breckenridge nonprofit that also deals with the issue.
"I think it's going to help a lot of different agencies plan," said Lynn Shine, housing initiatives coordinator for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. The count next week will help the statewide Interagency Council on Homelessness get a better idea of the geographic scope of the problem.
Metro areas like Denver and Colorado Springs have conducted recent homeless counts, but for other parts of the state, the information is sketchy, she said.
"Maybe there are some communities that have a big problem with homeless youth, but they don't have a shelter or the resources to deal with it," she said, describing the type of information the agencies hope to gather during the count.
"We're conducting it like a campaign, so it's also going to help agencies in different parts of the state communicate on this issue," she concluded.
A statewide homeless count will be conducted 5 p.m. Aug. 28 through 5 p.m. Aug. 29. Anyone who might be homeless is invited to the Family & Intercultural Resource Center at 330 Fiedler Ave. in Dillon to complete a confidential two-page survey and share in a free lunch. For more information, call (970) 262-3888.
Homeless Definitions
Individuals or families are considered homeless if they are:
• Sleeping in places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks or abandoned or condemned buildings;
• spending a short time (30 consecutive days or less) in a hospital or other institution, but ordinarily sleeping in the types of places mentioned above;
• living in transitional/supportive housing but having come from the streets or emergency shelters;
• staying temporarily in a hotel/motel paid for by others/vouchers and/or while looking for shelter or housing;
• being evicted within a week from a private dwelling unit and having no subsequent residence identified and lacking the resources and support networks needed to obtain access to housing; or
• being discharged from an institution and having no subsequent residence identified and lacking the resources and support networks need to obtain access to housing.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
The point-in-time survey is intended to provide a snapshot to help state and local governments understand the causes of homelessness - to assist with statewide planning efforts and the allocation of resources and to create public awareness that homelessness is a statewide concern.
"What we're hoping is that, once the count is completed, lawmakers and decision-makers will re-legislate and re-allocate funds to appropriately serve the homeless population and to try and get more funds," said Matt Korn, general assistance coordinator with the Family and Intercultural Resource Center in Dillon.
"There are a couple new definitions as to who qualifies for homeless status," Korn said at a training session for survey workers in Frisco last week. Locally, the focus is primarily on two groups, Korn said. First, people who are living in long-term campsites in the National Forest, and secondly, people who might fall into a "transitional" homeless category - in between jobs and residences.
"Regardless of what has led you to camp in the woods, please come to the Family & Intercultural Resource Center in Dillon Tuesday, Aug. 29, to participate in the survey," Korn said.
The center is offering a free lunch between 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. that day, not just for forest campers, but also for the "couch-surfing" homeless population, Korn emphasized. Participants will also receive a $5 voucher for the Summit Thrift and Treasure store. All the information collected on the two-page survey will remain confidential.
The count begins 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, and runs through 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29.
Korn said he would try and visit some of the known homeless camping sites in Summit County in advance of the survey to extend one-on-one invitations.
"What we're trying to do is establish a benchmark and raise awareness that there's homelessness across the state, not just in the metropolitan areas," said Doug Wayland, education director for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.
Wayland said the homeless population has been expanding into outlying areas in recent years.
"The real dramatic trend is that it's impacting families more and more," he said. A Denver homeless count last year showed that 58 percent of the estimated 10,000 homeless people in the city are families with kids.
Statewide numbers are hard to come by, thus next week's count.
"It's a difficult population to enumerate," Wayland said. "If we have a greater understanding of the causes if homelessness, and who the homeless are, we have a better chance of finding a long-term solution."
Wayland said the cost of reacting to homelessness far outweighs the cost of setting up proactive programs.
'Transitional' homelessness
Local nonprofits that have contact with homeless people include the Dillon Community Church.
Frank Butler, of the church's food bank and benevolence committee, said the nature of homelessness in Summit County is somewhat different from what people might think of.
"We see sort of a seasonal pattern," Butler said, describing a September influx of people from all over the country who arrive with the expectation of landing a resort job upon arrival.
"Some of them come with no money, no driver's license. They expect to get a job, but it doesn't start right away, so they end up being stuck without resources," Butler said.
That is described as a sort of "interim" homelessness by Carolyn Miller, of House with the Red Door, a Breckenridge nonprofit that also deals with the issue.
"I think it's going to help a lot of different agencies plan," said Lynn Shine, housing initiatives coordinator for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs. The count next week will help the statewide Interagency Council on Homelessness get a better idea of the geographic scope of the problem.
Metro areas like Denver and Colorado Springs have conducted recent homeless counts, but for other parts of the state, the information is sketchy, she said.
"Maybe there are some communities that have a big problem with homeless youth, but they don't have a shelter or the resources to deal with it," she said, describing the type of information the agencies hope to gather during the count.
"We're conducting it like a campaign, so it's also going to help agencies in different parts of the state communicate on this issue," she concluded.
A statewide homeless count will be conducted 5 p.m. Aug. 28 through 5 p.m. Aug. 29. Anyone who might be homeless is invited to the Family & Intercultural Resource Center at 330 Fiedler Ave. in Dillon to complete a confidential two-page survey and share in a free lunch. For more information, call (970) 262-3888.
Homeless Definitions
Individuals or families are considered homeless if they are:
• Sleeping in places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks or abandoned or condemned buildings;
• spending a short time (30 consecutive days or less) in a hospital or other institution, but ordinarily sleeping in the types of places mentioned above;
• living in transitional/supportive housing but having come from the streets or emergency shelters;
• staying temporarily in a hotel/motel paid for by others/vouchers and/or while looking for shelter or housing;
• being evicted within a week from a private dwelling unit and having no subsequent residence identified and lacking the resources and support networks needed to obtain access to housing; or
• being discharged from an institution and having no subsequent residence identified and lacking the resources and support networks need to obtain access to housing.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
