Homeless Count

>> >>AMITA: THIS WEEK VOLUNTEERS WILL TALK TO PEOPLE O THN STREETS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHO THE HOMELESS ARE IN THE COMMUNITY. JOINING ME ARE DOLORES DIAZ, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE SAN DIEGO REGIONAL TASK FORCE ON THE HOMELESS, AND MATTHEW PACKARD OF THE SAN DIEGO HOUSING COMMISSION. DOLORES, THE COUNT STARTED LAST FRIDAY. WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES IN COUNTING THE HOMELESS GIVEN THE FACT THEY OFTEN ARE INVISIBLE BECAUSE OF THE PLACES TH THAT THEY FIND THEM SIVELS TO SHELLER IN. >> >>DOLORES DIAZ: IT IS VERY CHALLENGING TO COUNT THE HOMELESS ESPECIALLY IN THE RAIN WHICH IS WHAT WE EXPERIENCED ON FRIDAY BETWEEN 5 AND EIGHT IN THE MORNING. HOMELESS WILL TEND TO GO WHERE THEY'RE HIDDEN, YOU KNOW, TO BE ABLE TO GET SOME SHELTER FROM THE ELEMENTS AND THE PEOPLE THAT WERE OUT COUNTING ON FRIDAY WERE CHALLENGED TRYING TO FIND THEM. >> >>AMITA: LAST YEAR'S TALLY PUT THE CITY'S HOMELESS COUNT AT AROUND 6200 WHICH WAS A 9% INCREASE OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR. DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE AN INCREASE THIS YEAR. AND IF SO, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, WHAT CHANGES, WHAT HAPPENS? >> >>DOLORES DIAZ: WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE THIS YEAR. THE COUNT IS SIMPLY A SNAP SHOT OF A POINT IN TIME, AND MORE NUMBERS OF HOME HOMELESS OR LESS NUMBERS DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN MORE RESOURCES TO OUR COMMUNITY. SO WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE. >> >>AMITA: YOU'RE ALSO DOING THIS COUNT TO PERHAPS SERVE AS A REMINDER TO PEOPLE THAT THERE ARE THESE HOMELESS PEOPLE OUT THERE. AND HOW BIG OF A REMINDER DOES IT SERVE? >> >>DOLORES DIAZ: WE DO THIS FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. PRIMARILIY, WE WANT TO KNOW IN SAN DIEGO THE SCOPE OF OUR HOMELESS ISSUES. ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT ASKS COMMUNITIES TO COUNT EVERY TWO YEARSISM SAN DIEGO HAS CHOSE TOON DO ITS COUNT ANNUALLY BECAUSE WE WANT TO KNOW, WE WANT TO PUT OUR WRAP OUR HEADS AND OUR ARMS AROUND THE ISSUE, AND WE WANT TO KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHAT IT IS THAT WE NEED TO DO TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES THAT FACE OUR COMMUNITY, HOW WE CAN CRAFT SERVICES TO ADDRESSÊ TO ADDRESS OUR HOMELESS IN SAN DIEGO. >> >>AMITA: MATTHEW, ANOTHER ANNUAL EVENT REGARDING THE HOMELESS IS PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT WHERE PEOPLE GATHER AND PROVIDE SERVICES. WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THE EVENTS? >> >>CHARLIE MINN: THE PURPOSE OF THE EVENT IS REALLY KIND OF LIKE A HOMELESS COUNT. IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY ONE TIME A YEAR TO REACH OUT TO THAT HOMELESS POPULATION. THE REGIONAL NL TASK FORCE NOT ONLY COUNTS ON THOSE PEOPLE BUT THEY ALSO ENGAGE THEM IN CONVERSATION, AND SURVEY. WHAT ARE THEIR NEEDS, HOW LONG THEY'VE BEEN HOMELESS AWHOLE HOST OF QUESTIONS, HOW VULNERABLE THEY ARE ON THE STREET. WE'RE DOING THE SAME WITH PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT. REACHING OUT TO HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS, MAKING THEM AWARE OF WHAT SERVICES EXIST WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, AND HOPEFULLY ENGAGING THOSE FOLKS IN THOSE SERVICES. >> >>AMITA: SO THIS EVENT IS ON WEDNESDAY. WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC SERVICES THAT THEY NEED? >> >>MATHEW PACKARD: SURE, THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF SERVICES FROM A MEAL, TO CLOTHING TO A HAIR CUT, TO MENTAL HEALTH REFERRALS, TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE REFERRALS, HOUSING, COUNSELING, VETERAN SPECIFIC SERVICES AWHOLE HOST OF SERVICES. MANY ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE SERVICES 365 DAYS OF THE YEAR ARE GOING TO BE IN THAT ONE SPOT. SO THE HOMELESS INDIVIDUAL CAN WALK AROUND GOLDEN HALL AND TOUCH EVERY ONE OF THOSE SERVICE PROVIDERS. >> >>AMITA: THIS IS ALSO USED AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BASICALLY COLLECT DATA ON WHO THE HOMELESS ARE. WHAT ARE YOU SEEINGIC OR WHAT DID YOU SEE LAST YEAR? ARE THERE MORE WOMEN AND CHILDREN ON THE STREETS R YOU SEEING MORE CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS, OR ARE YOU SEEING THAT TREND FROM THE IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN WARS? >> >>MATHEW PACKARD: CERTAINLY INCREASE IN THOSE VETERANS COMING BACK FROM IRAN AND IRAQ WARS. AND DPL HAS BEEN AN INCREASE IN FAMILIES IN THE LAST *** OF YEARS BECAUSE OF THE DOWN TURN IN THE ECONOMY. MOST SIGNIFICANTLY I THINK IS THE AGING OF THE HOMELESS POPULATION. I THINK THE COMMUNITY OFTENTIMES MAYBE THINKS THAT HOMELESSNESS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO 20, 30 YEAR OLD MEN. THAT'S NOT THE CASE. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE ON THE STREET THAT ARE 50, 60 YEARS OLD, WOMEN, VERY VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS. >> >>AMITA: YOU'RE ALSO LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS. HOW ARE YOU GETTING THE WORD OUT TO THE HOMELESS THAT THIS EVENT IS HAPPENING. >> >>MATHEW PACKARD: WE USE THOSE EXISTING PROVIDERS IN THE COMMUNITY THEY HAVE FLYERS, DAY CENTERS, MEAL CENTERS WE'VE REACHED OUT TO THOSE FOLKS TO GET THE WORD OWP OUT IN THE COMMUNITY THAT IT'S HAPPENING WEDNESDAY FROM 9 TO 3:00ÊP.M. GOLDEN HALL. >> >>AMITA: THOONG THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING TO US TODAY.