Point-in-time count is looking for volunteers The annual Point-In-Time homeless count, which provides the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) a “snapshot” of Chicago’s homeless population, will be 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday, January 23. The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires the count be conducted on the street every two years, but Chicago finds that data gathered annually is more useful to demonstrate the need for federal funding, for service and resource planning, and to raise public awareness about homelessness. Volunteers are instrumental in participating on teams that canvass the entire city in just a few hours. Training and materials are provided that night. If you are interested in volunteering and have not previously volunteered for the Point-In-Time Homeless Count, please visit www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/fss.html and click on FAQ. To register, please go to : https://www.surveymonkey.com/ r/2020homelesscount or email homelesscount@cityofchicago.org The City conducts a homeless count in order to receive federal homeless funding from HUD. Chicago and the continuum of homeless service providers must demonstrate need by collecting data on how many persons experience homelessness on one given night. The count includes a tally and survey of every homeless person in shelters and a canvass of streets and public spaces for those unsheltered. Every volunteer will receive training on the night of the count. You do not need experience to volunteer. Anyone over age 18 is qualified.
INSIDE STREETWISE: Vendor A. Allen on legal weed 20/20, of course, is perfect vision, but 2020 can bring you blurred vision with the legalization of marijuana. I am not looking forward to the legalization of recreational marijuana. My Dad would have called it, "looking forward to getting your head bad." He was totally against using drugs because he believed weed would lead to harder drugs. In my case, it was true. I went from grass and weed to heroin. At first it was fun and sociable, even though it was illegal. Everyone in high school was doing it. At least that was what I was told. Everyone was not doing it, but it seemed like it, because of the social networks with which I associated. There was a lot of peer pressure to be with the "in" crowd. So, now in 2020, cannabis will be legal. I sort of feel sorry for some of the young people in today's society because even if they have discipline and the luxury of not doing something illegal, they will have easy access. So, I would like to encourage young folks who don't smoke weed to continue to stay focused and not to smoke weed, not to "get your head bad." It's better to have 20/20 vision than blurred vision. You can get a lot of things done when your head is clear. I'm speaking from experience, having been sober for more than 10 years. It's better to deal with life on life's terms than to be influenced by peers or drugs that blur your vision and knock you off your square. To all my friends, family and associates, stay focused and keep your 20/20 in the year 2020.
Volunteers will be trained and divided into teams between 9 and 10 p.m. Teams will be dispatched after 10 p.m. to cover their assigned areas and will usually require several hours, so that they will not typically return to their site until 2 or 2:30 a.m. Teams are instructed not to separate under any circumstances or to venture alone or to enter any abandoned building or nonpublic space. Volunteers will be partnered into teams of four or five, with at least one experienced team member. They will spend the evening traveling by car and on foot. If you do not have a car, you may still volunteer and will be assigned to a team with a volunteer who has a car. Unfortunately, volunteers are not paid or reimbursed for any expenses, such as transportation to and from the site location. They are encouraged to bring layers of warm clothing for themselves, including gloves and a hat in case of snow and wet weather. A clipboard, flashlight, and pencils to use with the forms are also helpful. For their own and their team’s safety, they should not bring any large sums of money, items/food to pass out to people who are homeless, or other valuables. Other questions or concerns? Contact homelesscount@cityofchicago.org or call 312-746-8864. –Suzanne Hanney, from online source
Vendor A. Allen (Santa) poses with carolers during the GiveAShi*t Pop-Up Shop on Dec. 6, 2019.
