Survey at Salvation Army helps assist homeless | Community Spirit

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – An annual survey of those who are homeless took place Wednesday afternoon at the Salvation Army in downtown Wilmington.

The Point-In-Time count, which is sponsored by the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness, allows staff and volunteers to gather information about race, gender, cause of homelessness and where homeless people sleep within their community over a 24-hour period.

The numbers gathered will help calculate how many funds are needed to serve the homeless, and organizers say many people would be surprised to know who is living on the streets.

“It is very important that we get an accurate count of our community members experiencing homelessness,” said Angela Keith, Housing Coordinator for Southeastern Center and Chair of the Tri-County Homeless Interagency Council, in a statement. “The reported number of those experiencing homelessness translates into dollars that are allocated to our local providers to expand housing.”

The count also included data from Brunswick and Pender counties.

Last year, more than 400 people were homeless in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties, which was a decrease from 2010.

Additionally, during the count, resources including blankets, outreach information and bottled water were provided.

The volunteers who conducted the counting are trained, and they are expected to make their rounds at outdoor homeless encampments Thursday morning beginning around 6 a.m.

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