Bear River conducts annual homelessness count

In the early morning hours of Jan. 27-29, local volunteers came together to participate in the annual Point in Time Count in Cache Valley.

The PIT Count is of those experiencing homelessness in the community. Volunteers will go out as early as 3 a.m. in search of individuals who may not have a safe place to sleep at night.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires every community to conduct a PIT Count sometime in the last 10 days of January nationwide.

“It helps us get as accurate of a count as we can about unsheltered homelessness. It gives us an opportunity to reach out in one of the coldest times of the year, and get people connected to resources,” said Jess Lucero, the PIT Count lead. “When we can get a more accurate count of homelessness in our community, we’re more likely to have funding for our community to help support those who are experiencing homelessness.”

The count is conducted through the Bear River Association of Governments, or BRAG, a volunteer organization in Logan. Volunteers are placed in small groups and search the valley for individuals or families showing signs of homelessness in assigned areas.

For those willing to speak with the volunteers, a short interview is conducted and supplies including blankets, hygiene kits and food would be distributed.

To get an accurate idea of people’s sleeping arrangements, volunteers conduct the count early in the morning.

“One of the main things I noticed is that homelessness looks different depending on the location and the person,” said Andriana Jensen, a volunteer from USU, “It can be people staying in a car or it could be in a tent. It just isn’t always what you typically think it is and that helped me understand what homelessness looks like in our valley specifically.”

Logan Municipal Council member Amy Anderson saw the lack of attention towards the homeless community and took initiative through Cache Community Connections for nearly 10 years. Since then, she has become the co-chair in the Local Homeless Council in Logan and has participated twice in the count.

“I think it’s important for our community to realize that there are a lot of people that are homeless,” Anderson said. “If you go and talk to both school districts, there’s a lot of homeless families.”

To be included in the count, individuals must be unsheltered, meaning they sleep in an uninhabitable location. This can be a tent, a car or staying in a public building like a gas station.

And according to Lucero, 50-60 families in Cache Valley are experiencing homelessness. However, most of them are not recorded in the count due to having friends or family members to bunk with until they get back on their feet, so they are considered sheltered.

“That’s a distinction people don’t always understand,” Anderson said. “When you look at the PIT Count, it doesn’t truly reflect all the people in our community who don’t have their own home.”

Nicole Burnard, the executive secretary of the Local Homeless Council, said most people in the valley wouldn’t think homelessness was a local issue.

“Having these conversations and creating awareness in our community and trying to have empathy and realize that these folks experiencing homelessness are just like you and me,” Burnard said. “Maybe they don’t have the solid support system that we do.”

A local council meeting is scheduled a week after the count to discuss further actions and funding the city will be able to provide.

Currently, there are few available resources in Cache Valley, one being BRAG where people in need can be put in a hotel for about 10 days.

CAPSA is another resource for those who have experienced domestic violence and don’t have a safe place to sleep. Despite these resources, there are always more gaps to be filled. Anderson, Lucero and Burnard all agree there is a need for a homeless shelter or a warming shelter in Logan City for those sleeping in the cold.

According to Lucero, a shelter is possible and the PIT Count is an important step in that direction.

More information on the PIT Count, housing crisis assistance and other resources can be found at brag.utah.gov.

-Brielle.Carr@usu.edu