BRADENTON – The 2023 Point-In-Time Homeless Census is occurring Monday, January 23rd through Saturday, January 28th in Manatee and Sarasota Counties and participants will be asked where they spent the night of Monday, January 23rd. This Census is facilitated through the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness (SPEH) in partnership with Turning Points. Volunteers through Turning Points are surveying individuals throughout Manatee County while volunteers through SPEH are surveying throughout Sarasota County.
The 2023 Homeless Census is a comprehensive street-based and service-based survey process designed to identify how many people are homeless in Manatee and Sarasota Counties at a given point-in-time. The Point-In-Time is done to obtain an unduplicated count of individuals and families in Manatee and Sarasota Counties experiencing homelessness at a given point in time. This national standard helps us better understand the nature and extent of the current trends in homelessness.
The completion of the 2023 Homeless Census will provide us with a battery of information that will serve as the basis for:
- responding to the unmet needs and gaps in services for homeless individuals and families in Manatee and Sarasota Counties
- developing local community and bi-county strategies to meet the goal of ending homelessness
- bringing in federal funding and thousands of state and local dollars in order to better serve homeless individuals and families in our community
The 2023 Homeless Census will be conducted on the streets and other locations where individuals experiencing homelessness can be found and at service provider locations in every city, school district and in unincorporated areas in Manatee and Sarasota Counties. Adults, children, and unaccompanied youth will be counted in the reports to be submitted to HUD and State of Florida.
Volunteers are still needed. Volunteers always work as part of a team with other experienced volunteers or staff from service providers/agencies. The time commitment is completely flexible – and day, evening, and weekend shifts are available. Bilingual skills are especially appreciated – but not expected. A 1-hour training session (in person or Zoom) is provided (and required)for all volunteers. Sign up for the training and volunteer times here – https://bit.ly/Signup2023PointInTime . Contact Tina Juillerat with questions on volunteering at tjuillerat@tpmanatee.org or 941-747-1509, Ext. 334.
About Turning Points
Turning Points provides a remarkable variety of services designed to assist individuals and families on their path to financial stability and independence. Turning Points is the one stop shop for preventing and reducing homelessness in our community. We provide day resource services (such as hot showers, laundry services, clothing, food), employment services, rental and utility assistance, veteran’s services (employment, housing and childcare), and free medical and dental care for the uninsured and underinsured. Over 9,000 people received help last year with critical services targeted to the essential needs of people in crisis.
For more information, visit http://tpmanatee.org/