Dr. Sharon Chamard, Justice faculty, and Barbara Armstrong, editor, Alaska Justice Forum, joined scores of other volunteers to assist with the annual HUD point-in-time count of homeless persons and Project Homeless Connect on January 27, 2016 in Anchorage.Dr. Chamard assisted with the annual point-in-time count of persons at homeless encampments. Barbara Armstrong worked with volunteers doing data entry for the individuals served at Project Homeless Connect at the Egan Convention Center.
The PIT (point-in-time) annual counts for HUD provide counts of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night. This data is used in policymaking and determining assistance for homeless persons on the local, state, and federal levels.
Project Homeless Connect brings together service providers and government agencies under one roof to provide homeless persons with the services they need. Services provided included haircuts, health exams, legal services, housing and employment information, and referrals to mental health and substance abuse counseling. The Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness (ACEH) is the organizer of the event. A total of 797 clients were served at the Anchorage Project Homeless Connect event this year.
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| Data entry volunteers for Project Homeless Connect. |
Project Homeless Connect events were also held in Juneau, Fairbanks, and Kenai. Final statewide data on numbers served and the point-in-time count of homeless persons are being compiled and will be released at a later date.
