DuPagePads is looking for volunteers to help with the DuPage Continuum of Care’s annual Street Count. The Street Count helps our county determine how many people are sleeping unsheltered on a given night and allows us to better advocate for federal dollars through HUD (Housing and Urban Development). This year, due to COVID-19, the Continuum will be conducting an observation only (headcount) year-and could use your help.
The count will take place on Wednesday, January 27th beginning approximately at 10:00 pm and ending on Thursday at approximately 1:00 am. Updated known locations and “hot spots” will be provided ahead of time to the teams by both 360 Youth Services and DuPagePads, as well as any information provided by local law enforcement outreach efforts.
Volunteers will be asked to use a very brief survey utilizing the GIS technology being made available to the Continuum. A link will be given to volunteers before the count, which will provide them with survey access. This survey will capture the number of persons observed, exact location using cross streets and mapping functionality, a brief but thorough description of any person/s encountered, and any other observable information to assist with deduplication and potential data collection.
To offer the safest experience for volunteers this year during COVID-19, it is recommended that volunteers travel either with persons with whom they have been quarantined (ideally household members). Or, as suggested, if not traveling with close family or friends, remain as a “team” but travel in separate vehicles. A list of towns needing coverage can be found in the Google Docs link, here. For reference, the document also includes the areas last covered in 2019 and the organization that was assigned to and covered those areas. If you would like to volunteer, please sign up under DuPagePads, and email volunteer@dupagepads.org and continuum@dupageco.org to identify the location your team is taking for the 2021 count no later than 01/14/21.
The CoC website has been updated with current information regarding this year’s count https://dupagehomeless.org/street-count/. They are developing a virtual training module for volunteers, this is a very scaled-down version of our biennial unsheltered point in time count. Each team will be responsible for its own area coverage and via the GIS link, its own reporting of unsheltered persons, using their own phone or another device. Questions and other Street Count communications can be sent to continuum@dupageco.org.
