FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Laura Weinbaum lweinbaum@projecthome.org 215-232-7272

VOLUNTEERS AND YOUTH (UP TO AGE 25) NEEDED FOR SURVEY OF HOMELESS PHILADELPHIANS Partnership of Project HOME, City of Philadelphia, and multi-provider consortium join to conduct Philly COUNTS 2014 to survey and count people who are street homeless and/or youth who are unstably housed PHILADELPHIA, January 14, 2014 The City of Philadelphia, together with Project HOME, is recruiting both youth experiencing housing instability and survey volunteers to take part in Philly COUNTS (Coordinated Outreach for Unsheltered Needs Tally and Survey), the annual survey of the citys unshelter ed homeless population. The survey takes place on a single night, January 22, 2014, fulfilling a requirement for all cities receiving federal funding for homeless services. Volunteers can register today at www.phillycounts2014.org and more information for youth is available by signing up at www.phillyyouthcount.org or www.vyhphila.org/philly-youth-count-2014/ An annual Point-in-time Count is required by the federal government to estimate the number of street homeless individuals each January, but Philadelphias count this year will enable us to gather more information, build on information we already have, and engage youth who do not have a regular place to live. Philly COUNTS is also part of efforts by the City and its partners to end homelessness while engaging Philadelphians from all walks of life. Results from the count and survey are used to evaluate the effectiveness of current strategies to end and prevent street homelessness and to assist in developing appropriate housing and service resources. Last winters count estimated 526 individuals sleeping unsheltered throughout Philadelphia. The upcoming survey makes several improvements over previous counts to collect new information that will help the City achieve its goal of ending homelessness by 2015. Most notable is the enhanced effort to count youth (up to age 25) struggling with housing instability. Rather than counting youth and young adults alongside the rest of the homeless population, the City and several partners are reaching out to this vulnerable population by hosting events at which they can be counted as well as pick up needed toiletries, play video games, dance, and eat. The list of youth events is available at www.vyhphila.org/philly-youth-count-2014/

Also new in Philly COUNTS 2014 are additional steps to count and survey homeless veterans, efforts to send volunteers to new areas of the City, and a comprehensive questionnaire to collect information helpful to shaping services targeted to these vulnerable groups. Officials at the City and its partners are praising the effort. Through partnerships, 860 homeless people moved into permanent housing last year. It is through partnerships that we will also find and engage the most vulnerable men and women living on the streets during this years annual Point in Time count required by HUD, said Dainette M. Mintz, Director of the Citys Office of Supportive Housing. Sister Mary Scullion, Executive Director of Project HOME, which coordinates the effort, added, We are excited to unveil this new, enhanced survey for Philadelphia. We believe that through these changes we can collect the information we need to make real progress toward meeting the Citys goal of eradicating chronic street homelessness in the next two years. The survey needs volunteers and young people from across the region to assist in making Philly COUNTS as effective as possible, and we are seeking 300 volunteers to conduct Philly COUNTS on January 22, 2014. To volunteer: www.phillycounts2014.org or phillycounts@projecthome.org for more information. For youth survey event information: www.vyhphila.org/philly-youth-count-2014/ ###