Continuum of Care Network of NWI will conduct a count of homeless individuals in Lake County on Wednesday, January 24, 2018, as part of the 2018 Point-In-Time Count coordinated by Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, the state housing finance agency, and the Local Regional Planning Council. The Point-In-Time Count is a survey and count of homeless persons throughout the nation on this day.
During last year’s count, hundreds of homeless individuals were counted in the cities of Gary, Hammond and East Chicago, which is a slight decrease from last year. Unfortunately, homeless persons use a variety of public systems in inefficient and costly ways. While it may not be obvious, the chronically homeless create significant costs to local service programs.
The results of a two-year study conducted by the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville showed that it cost nearly $89 million over a two-year period to shelter and care for just over 7,000 single homeless adults. The study also showed that providing permanent housing to these individuals over the two-year period would have saved $6.4 million.
Volunteers are needed to perform the count throughout different areas in the county; East Chicago, Hammond, Gary, Merrillville. A final training session for volunteers occurs January 24 at 8:00 a.m. at 504 West Ridge Road in Gary, IN. For more information, please call William Gillespie at 219.886.9966 or Sharron Liggins at 219-613-7571.
