Mild winters are one of the many benefits of living in Austin, Texas. However, in the early morning hours of January 23, 2016 the temperature hovered near freezing. A group of eight current and previous staff members from CPPP woke up before the sun, bundled up and ventured out to participate in the 2016 Point in Time (PIT) count with the Ending Community Homelessness (ECHO) Coalition.
Our team assisted in completing the count of the unsheltered homeless population in one suburban area of North Austin.The annual count, completed in January, provides valuable data on the location and needs of those individuals in our community who experience street homelessness, and is required by HUD to determine federal funding for homeless services in Travis County.
The opportunity to join nearly 600 area volunteers and complete the count was humbling and encouraging. ECHO has supported over 10,000 homeless individuals in Austin this year alone and assisting this effective organization gain valuable funding was a great way to spend a Saturday morning.
ECHO expects to release the preliminary results of the count in the next few months.
By CPPP Health and Wellness Intern Danielle Kailing
