How are we doing, nationwide, in ending homelessness?

The map from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness  uses 2015 data. To find out how Connecticut is doing, see the most recent Point In Time count, here.

Connecticut homelessness is down 10 percent

We know this because the annual Point-In-Time count says so. Taken earlier this year, the PIT numbers  just got crunched, and they are — in a lame word —  encouraging. I’ve been hanging around policy types for too long to use words like “awesome” or “fabulous,” though those are the words that seem a better …

As you read this…

  …a cadre of volunteers are among ’em, searching the byways and highways for people who are sleeping rough, sleeping outside in this awful weather. The point is to count them (this is the annual Point In Time count), and interview them (this is new), and see what services they need to be housed. These …

It’s here. The PIT count.

This week marks Connecticut’s rescheduled Point-In-Time count, the census of our homeless population to see who’s out and who’s in. Beaucoup volunteers have signed up to help count, and to administer a different kind of census, a tool that essentially grades people based on their needs, and their vulnerability (it has a long name, but …

What can I do about homelessness?

Homelessness can seem like such a complex issue that there’s no going around or through it. But let me boil it down for you: The answer to ignorance is education. The answer to hunger is food. The answer to homelessness is homes. And while you may be moved to write a check or support a …