Staff from Neighborhood Services will participate in the annual Point-in-Time survey on January 30, 2020. The survey is a count mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and provides a snapshot of homelessness in Champaign County and throughout the country. Organized locally by the Champaign County Continuum of Service Providers to the Homeless (CSPH), the Point-in-Time survey helps homeless service providers track progress towards ending homelessness. More than 30 volunteers will search the community for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and gather information about their housing situations. In 2019, 188 homeless individuals were identified among 140 households, with two of those individuals being unsheltered.
Congress utilizes the data collected from the Point-in-Time count to track the needs of people experiencing homelessness and to determine federal funding allocations for programs serving people experiencing homelessness. The Point in Time counts both sheltered (residing in emergency or transitional shelters for individuals and families experiencing homelessness) and unsheltered (living in spaces not meant for human habitation, such as cars or on the street) people.
The Champaign County Continuum of Service Providers to the Homeless is a consortium of more than 25 non-profit and government agencies, faith-based organizations, and businesses committed to ending homelessness in Champaign County.