Point-In-Time Count held with new methods

Point-In-Time Count held with new methods

OVERWHELMINGCAN BE SCARY BECAUSE WE DON'TKNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TOENCOUNTER AT 4 IN THE MORNING,"DEBORAH JOHNSON ALONG WITH MORETHAN 600 VOLUNTEERSFROM LOCAL AGENCIES AND THECOMMUNITY- HIT THE STREETSOF KERN COUNTY BETWEEN 4AM AND8A TO COUNT THE NUMBER OFHOMELESS PEOPLE-USING NEWMETHODS THAN IN PREVIOUSYEARS"THE APP THAT WE USED IT WAS THEFIRST TIME, VER EASY FOR US TOUSE, THE SURVEYS WERE MUCHQUICKER,"JOHNSON SAYS EVEN THOUGHVOLUNTEERS USED APAPERLESS METHOD TO SURVEYHOMELESSPEOPLE ABOUT THEIRSITUATION-OFFICIALS WITHTHE HOMELESS COLLABORATIVE STILLHAVE TO ANALYZE THE DATACOLLECTED."AND THAT USUALLY TAKES ANYWHEREFROM 30 TO 45 DAYS, SO THAT WILLALL DEPEND ON OUR DATA TEAM."JOHNSON SAYS SHE PERSONALLYCOUNTED MORE THAN TENHOMELESS PEOPLE ON HER OWN BUTOFFICIALS WILL HAVE TO VALEDATETHE DATA AND MAKE SURE NONE OFTHE SURVEYS WERE DUPLICATED TOGET A FIRM NUMBER ON THE TOTALAMOUNT OF HOMELESS PEOPLE INKERN COUNTY-BUT SHESAYS IT WAS AN EYE OPENINGEXPERIENCE.THEY HAD A PERCEPTION THATPEOPLE WERE GOING TO MEAN, THATTHEY WERE GOING TO BE TREATEDDISRESPECTFULLY THAT PEOPLE WEREGOING TO BE RESISTANT TO THEINTERVIEW AND WE FOUND THAT TOBE COMPLETELY WRONG." A FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE WITH THEHOMELESS-CREATING A NEW RELATABLENARRATIVE SURROUNDING THOSELIVING ON THE STREETS."THEY WERE AMAZED, THEY WEREHUMBLED,IT BROKE THEIR HEART, THEYREALIZED THAT PEOPLE WE TALKEDTO TODAY WE'RE JUST LIKE US."WE WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK THEDATA COLLECTED FROM