OSWEGO COUNTY – On Wednesday, January 26 staff from Oswego County Opportunities (OCO) Crisis and Development program conduct its annual Point In Time count.
A requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Point In Time count is a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night during the last ten days of January.
Point In Time counts are important in that they are useful in establishing the dimensions of the problem of homelessness and help policymakers and program administrators track progress toward the goal of ending homelessness.
“Point In Time canvassing gives us much more than a count of homeless individuals, it’s an excellent opportunity for outreach,” said OCO Homeless Services Coordinator Jill Brzuszkiewicz. “During our canvassing we are able to speak with business owners and community partners and share with them information about homelessness in Oswego County and how they can help by letting them know about the services that are available to those that are homeless and how they may connect someone that is in need to those services.”
OCO Deputy Executive Director Patrick Waite and Crisis and Development Director Brian Coleman along with Director of the City-County Youth Bureau Brian Chetney will join OCO staff as they canvas areas throughout the county looking for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Traveling in pairs, volunteers will search for homeless individuals and help those they encounter find shelter for the night and connect them with homeless services that may help find more permanent housing.
For more information on OCO’s Homeless Services call 315- 342-7532 ext. 1607 or visit oco.org.
