SPOKANE, Wash. – The annual Spokane Point in Time Count is set to take place at the end of January. This event helps the city identify the size of the homeless population within Spokane County.
Despite its importance, the city acknowledges that the count is not entirely accurate. John Webb from NonStop Local spoke with city officials who highlighted several reasons for this inaccuracy.
According to the city, the season makes it difficult to locate everyone. There is also the possibility of human error and missing people during the count. However, the city continues to conduct the count.
One reason for this is that the count is federally mandated. It allows cities to collect federal grants, securing millions of dollars in funding for resources. This funding informs policy at every level and guides how the community allocates resources.
Despite the inaccuracies, the city of Spokane states that the count doesn’t fully show them how the system is working. Dawn Kinder, the Director of the Neighborhood, Housing and Human Services Division for the City of Spokane elaborated on this point.
“The pit is a single snapshot of what is happening in the system and it’s not the most accurate count,” Kinder said.
“Counting in January is not necessarily going to be what we see in July,” Kinder added.
Kinder noted, “It’s possible to be duplicating or missing people entirely.”
The count is administered by the city of Spokane and conducted by volunteers. These volunteers survey homeless people not only in Spokane but also in Spokane Valley and the rest of Spokane County. The city is currently looking for more volunteers to participate.
Those interested in volunteering can sign up on the NonStop Local website. Participants are required to attend a training session beforehand.
