2012 Point In Time/ Project Homeless Connect

Middlesex County, Coming Home of Middlesex County, Inc. and numerous other nonprofit agencies in the County have been planning for the annual statewide Point in Time Survey(PIT)/Project Homeless Connect (PHC) Event since Fall 2011.  The event will be held on Wednesday, January 25, 2012.

The Point-in-Time Survey is carried out in compliance with a mandate from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The data collected from the PIT surveys provides invaluable information regarding the County’s homeless residents, supports requests for funding for both housing and services for this extremely at risk population, and enables planners to close the gaps and remove the obstacles preventing the chronically homeless from achieving housing and/or services.

The last count was performed on January 26, 2011.  The Point-in-Time is conducted with both a bilingual paper outreach (survey forms are forwarded in advance to specific designated homeless provider agencies) and a bilingual street outreach (teams are sent to specific localities within Middlesex County to identify homeless individuals whose residence in the County may not be known).

At the same time as the PIT survey is being completed, Project Homeless Connect provides for specific locations to be open where homeless individuals can walk in receive a hot cup of coffee and a snack, fill out surveys, be linked to free community services such as housing, food stamps, etc. (representatives from various community agencies are at each location) and also receive “incentives” such as a free blanket, gloves, etc. as a “thank you”.  This year, three sites have been designated for Project Homeless Connect:

 Elijah's Promise

Soup Kitchen

18 Neilson Street

New Brunswick, NJ

The

Salvation Army

433 State Street

Perth Amboy, NJ

The Woodbridge

Housing Authority

20 Bunns Lane

Woodbridge, NJ

The PIT street outreach will begin at approximately 8:00pm and continue until midnight.  The street outreach locations are in the process of being scheduled. Thanks to several vans which will be available for a mobile street outreach.

It is important to be aware that the street outreach and surveying of the homeless individuals are carried out with the help of volunteers.  The “incentives" are donated by organizations and private citizens within Middlesex County.  For this reason, the Point-in-Time/Project Homeless Committee greatly appreciates it when organizations conduct “drives” or private citizens donate items such blankets, scarves, flashlights, etc. or individuals volunteer to help conducting the surveys.

If you are reading this article and would like to volunteer to help, whether in the form of physically handing out surveys, incentives, putting up flyers etc., OR would like to conduct a blanket, sock, glove drive, or even simply donate articles of new or used clothing, please contact Harriet Slonim at (732) 745-4041 or visit the volunteer page of this website.

 

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