The Puyallup Homeless Coalition shined a light on the homeless population of Puyallup and South Hill last Thursday during the nationwide 24-hour Point-in-Time Survey.
Agencies across the country spend the last Thursday in January counting the homeless and evaluating the effectiveness of resources. Pierce County, led by the Pierce County Community Connections, has performed survey for the past 16 years.
“(The PIT survey) is a requirement for funding from the (U.S.) Department of Housing and Urban Development, and it’s also required by the state of Washington, because we receive funding through the state as well,” said Rae Anne Giron, program specialist at Pierce County Community Connections.
Giron said funding from those sources go toward supporting service agencies.
“The count is not a scientific measure by any means,” she said. “We’re not going to capture everyone. Because the survey is volunteer-supported, we probably won’t get everyone.”
In Pierce County, there were more than 100 volunteers on the street in major communities, including Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Lakewood and Puyallup.
Paula Anderson, the chair of the Puyallup Homeless Coalition, said last week was the second year the coalition has managed the survey in Puyallup.
“We have about 20 volunteers during the 24-hour period from the Puyallup Homeless Coalition,” she said. “These include concerned citizens and even homeless volunteers, too.”
Rita Rose, a coalition volunteer who canvassed downtown Puyallup on Thursday, said she slept in her car for about a year.
“That’s when you start learning about other homeless,” she said. “And that’s what inspires me. I hope the survey educates the public on the awareness of homelessness. There are many stereotypes, and none of them are true. There is a stigma that they do not want to work, and that is not true. Many rely on their families to get by. Many have mental illness.”
Rose, Sean Langdon, the vice chair of the coalition, and Erin York, a full-time staff member at Share and Care House, started the count in Puyallup under the state Route 512 bridge along East Main.
“Many homeless come here to gather under the 512 bridge,” York said. “They come here to relax.”
The trio viewed the shrub bushes that line the shore of the Puyallup River. They didn’t find anyone there, so they moved on.
They ran into the same problem later at the downtown Puyallup McDonalds, where the homeless often gather outside.
Finally, outside the Puyallup Public Library, Langdon, York and Rose surveyed and counted about four homeless.
“We ask them where they will sleep on the 26th; whether they are single, married or have children; their education level and their employment, race and ethnicity,” York said. “We also ask about their veteran status. Veterans qualify for veteran benefits, even if they did not serve in war.”
An evening group of volunteers from the coalition also counted homeless at shelters such as Freezing Nights.
Giron said Pierce County identified 2,067 homeless last January. More than three-quarters were housed in emergency shelter or transitional housing, she said, and about 15 percent were unsheltered and on the street.
“We’re hoping that it has not increased over last year,” Giron said. “Anecdotally, we’re actually hearing a lot about people living in their cars.”
Pierce County’s deadline to submit the survey results to the state is Feb. 8.
“What we give to the state is our unsheltered numbers, listing basic demographics, and locally, we collect the reasons for homelessness and demographics around disability, veteran status, employment and education.”
A deadline for survey results to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is in May.
“The economy is part of the issue,” Anderson said. “People are losing houses. Families can’t afford living in this area because you have to make over $18 an hour to afford a one- or two-bedroom apartment and to have food and utilities. And if you have a family, then you’re out of luck.”
Reach Puyallup reporter Andrew Fickes at 253-841-2481 Ext. 313 or email at andrew.fickes@puyallupherald.com.
