Outreach workers talk with people living on the street for Vancouver Point-in-Time count

The Point-in-Time count is a federally required snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness in a given area. Last week, the Council for the Homeless in Vancouver, WA went out on a cold Thursday morning to start the count. It was conducted by outreach staff, volunteers and other social service providers. OPB’s “Think Out Loud” joined surveyors Daniel Rivera, Gemma Somol and Brian Starbuck as they conducted their work. We were also joined by Charlene Welch, chief advancement officer for Council for the Homeless. They all shared the importance of the count, what homelessness looks like in Vancouver and why they go out and do this work.