COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A Point-In-Time national homeless count is scheduled for this week and it will include Branch County. The local census of homeless people is organized by the Branch County Community Network and Continuum of Care. Teams on Wednesday will look for unsheltered persons at churches, stores, gas stations, or other businesses which are open or accessible all night and area law enforcement agencies will assist teams with identifying locations of interest.
This Point-in-Time (PIT) count will give service providers, city officials, and federal agencies a glimpse of the current homeless population. The HUD Homeless definition being used for this single night PIT count is “persons with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings”.
Even though Branch County volunteers are more likely to find homeless persons living in cars or make-shift shelters during the summer months, the national PIT is scheduled this month, when colder temperatures are life threatening to people living on the streets
