North Texas nonprofits are seeking volunteers to participate in next week’s point-in-time count of unhoused people.
The annual census – this year taking place on Jan. 25 -- occurs on a single night and tracks different trends in homelessness.
Last year volunteers across the state counted 27,377 people experiencing homelessness. Although Texas saw a 13% increase in homelessness from 2022 to 2023, the state still has a lower rate than the national average, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development .
These numbers help local nonprofits identify problems such as how many people are unhoused, how many already access services, and how many people are migrating from other areas. The count also factors into determining where federal funds go, said Olivia Mata-Williams, United Way of Denton County’s director of education, housing and workforce.
“The biggest piece of that is that we utilize that data as a basis for all our funding,” she said. “So, there's a really direct correlation between us doing all of the work for the point-in-time count and then being able to leverage that to continue to support the actual funding of the work being done.”
Volunteers will spread out across North Texas in groups of three to five through assigned neighborhoods asking people on the street about their living conditions.
“It really creates this human experience of being able to connect and understanding that homelessness is fluid,” Mata-Williams said.
This year organizers will incorporate an app provided by the Texas Homeless Network that collects basic demographic information to avoid cross counts, and offer volunteers mental health check-ins through a partnership with NAMI of North Texas.
All volunteers are required to do an hour-long training before the night of the count to get them familiar with the uncomfortable questions asked in the survey.
“Those questions can lead to vulnerable conversations, and it can be awkward if it's your first time asking them and saying them out loud,” Mata-Williams said. “So, we just want to make sure that the volunteers are comfortable with the content.”
United Way of Denton County is expecting at least 110 volunteers this year but is looking for more. The count starts on Thursday, Jan. 25, at 6:30 a.m.and wraps up around 10 p.m.
Registration for volunteers closes January 23.
