Survey of city's hidden homeless begins Thursday

Make every life count. That’s the mission statement behind a major, citywide undertaking that will occur Thursday.

Beginning well before sunrise, Lynchburg organizations will be conducting their periodic count of homeless people, an initiative designed to capture data about the community’s homeless population.

The count — which will send more than two dozen volunteers out to shelters, soup kitchens, abandoned buildings, underpasses and other hidden byways — is part of a national point-in-time survey required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

All across the country, communities will be seeking out and interviewing people who are without permanent housing. The information collected will form a picture of the homelessness problem in the United States. It will also be used by organizations to secure federal grants to combat homelessness.

This year, local nonprofits such as Rush Homes, Miriam’s House and the Lynchburg Community Action Group were awarded HUD grants totaling about $350,300 to provide programs that help people transition into permanent housing and self-sufficiency.

“This count is really about trying to assess the chronic homeless person and family population,” said Mary Alex, executive director of Miriam’s House and a co-organizer of this year’s count. “… We want to understand the changes and the trends in the homeless population, not only in Lynchburg, but across the nation. What is happening with the burgeoning homeless population? Is it growing? Are there enough services?”

“Here in Lynchburg, you don’t see as many visible homeless people on the streets, but don’t think they’re not there,” she added. “You don’t have to dig deep to find them.”

In 2008, Lynchburg’s homeless count came in at 256 people, of which 17.6 percent were deemed to be “unsheltered,” meaning they were staying in places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, deserted buildings or the outdoors. The reported figures included 45 families with children.

Various shelters and housing programs in the Lynchburg area offer a total of 304 beds, according to HUD reports. Some programs serve only a specific population, such as victims of domestic abuse or men with substance abuse problems.

Today’s count will involve multiple organizations, local government personnel and student volunteers from Lynchburg College and Randolph College. In addition to conducting interviews in shelters and soup kitchens, teams will also hit the streets and try to seek out those who may be bunking down in empty buildings or makeshift campsites.

The count is expected to start as early as 4 a.m. and will continue into the evening. Somewhere between 25 and 30 volunteers are expected to be involved.

“If we do this study right, it should be the go-to tool that everybody uses to talk about the homeless population in Lynchburg,” Alex said. “This is a way to put a face on the homeless population. It’s the way the federal government looks at them. Statistics paint the picture.”