DES MOINES — It’s a survey of a population in Iowa that often goes unseen. On a single night in the dead of winter, each January, volunteers work through the night to count the number of people without shelter throughout the state.
The “Point in Time” count in Iowa takes place January 30-31, and serves as a snapshot of people experiencing homelessness.
The number includes people without shelter, combined with the number of Iowans using shelter services. It’s given to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development as a demonstration of the statewide need. The count ultimately helps determine funding for programs that assist families into permanent housing.
Shannon Summers, 41, said she spent most of her life without shelter. She was part of the Point in Time Count numerous times throughout her lifetime.
Last September, she moved into a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in Des Moines.
“[This home] means everything to me, considering that I’ve lived underneath bridges, we’ve been in a van,” said Summers.
She and her boyfriend of seven years, Shawn Pollock, have worked hard to secure jobs that have afforded them the ability to pay rent for the apartment they now live in. But along they way, they were also helped out by the shelter at Hawthorn Hill in Des Moines.
Case manager Kelsie Pinegar said it was a joy to work with Shannon, Shawn, and their 9-year-old boy Leland at Hawthorn Hill.
“They are a wonderful family,” said Pinegar.
Hawthorn Hill is one of the many services that considers the Point in Time count important to stay afloat.
“We’ll report those numbers to HUD, and we will use that in our application to receive funding in the following years,” she said.
In the past, Pinegar has volunteered for several PIT counts, teaming up with others to get basic information from people without shelter and often providing items like toiletries, hand warmers, and socks.
“Going out into the [homeless] camps and into other places that we know unsheltered people may be,” said Pinegar.
Iowa’s count will start the evening of Wednesday, January 29 and go until the next morning, January 30.
Home Forward Iowa, an advocacy group, told Local 5 counties across the state are looking for volunteers to help assist in the count.
If you’d like to help, you’re encouraged to reach out to your local Continuum of Care agency, or the Iowa offices of the Institute of Community Alliances.