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80 volunteer for Point-In-Time count
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Posted on Apr 11 2019
The CNMI Homeless Coalition did its third annual Point-In-Time count last Saturday and, despite the ongoing post-Super Typhoon Yutu recovery efforts, over 80 individuals came out to volunteer.
A Point-In-Time count refers to the actual counting of how many homeless people are in a certain community but Jacob Muña, Northern Marianas Housing Corp. office manager and CNMI Homeless Coalition member, was hesitant about using the term “homeless” because many are essentially “homeless” due to the recent onslaught of Super Typhoon Yutu.
Despite a decrease in its number of volunteers compared to previous years, Muña said that the coalition was able to go into every village on Saipan to conduct the count and volunteers even re-visited areas they skipped where individuals were not in during the time of the count. The volunteers visited temporary tents that are being used as homes by many displaced individuals.
When asked about the number of “homeless” who were counted, Muña said that they don’t have the exact number yet but will have the exact count by the end of April because the data is due for submission on April 30.
This year, the number of heads counted during the Point-In-Time count is expected to be higher because individuals still living in tents were also counted.
The Tinian and Rota count will be done late this month.
Despite plans to skip the count this year due to post-Yutu recovery, Muña said that U.S. Housing and Urban Development encouraged them not to do so because skipping a count is not an option if the coalition still aims to apply for the Continuum of Care grant.
The count is prerequisite for every community that receives federal funds for programs that aid the homeless, particularly the COC grant.
Last year, over 1,000 individuals were considered homeless by HUD definition. That means actual homelessness or living in a home unfit for human habitation.
