"One Night Count":
Faith & Family Homelessness Project Update

How many people experience homelessness on a given night?

Every night thousands of homeless men, women and children search Puget Sound communities for a safe place to stay. To make matters worse, homeless shelters fill up fast, leaving many in their cars or on the streets. In 2012, Washington State counted 20,336 homeless persons – with 5,484 living on the streets without shelter.   
 
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that states conduct an annual point in time count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons in Washington State. These counts help set funding levels, direct policy and program development and act as an indicator of how well the community is responding to the crisis of homelessness.
 

This year, Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry will be supporting count efforts in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties through the Faith & Family Homelessness Project.  On January 24 and 25, teams will be working with coordinators in each county to count the number of people experiencing homelessness. To learn more and get involved visit Washington State Department of Commerce, Seattle-King County Coalition for the Homeless, Pierce County Human Services and the Interfaith Association of Northwest Washington.  For more information on the Project's involvement with this event, read a recent blog post here.

For more information about the Faith and Family Homlessness Project, visit: http://www.seattleu.edu/stm/faithandfamilyhomelessness

Follow the Project's blog, here!