Point In Time count allocates homeless funding in Kansas

In the next few weeks, cities across the state of Kansas will do their Point In Time count of the homeless.

“Once a year, this point in time count is done, just to kind of get a snapshot of what’s going on just on this particular day,” said Misty Bosch Hastings with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. “Of course, that’s the individuals that we can find.”

The purpose of the count is to be able to properly allocate public funds to help the homeless.

“This lets us know how much money we can get, statewide, from the federal government, also for the city, for the actual shelter that they go to,” said Bosch Hastings. “Shelter plus care, housing vouchers, all this money that helps house these individuals comes from this count.”

Topeka’s day is Wednesday, Lawrence’s day is Friday and Wichita’s is next week.

“The veteran homelessness actually went up last year,” said Bosch Hastings. “That’s something that we really hate to see. There’s sometimes more programs that are available for the veterans, as well. Definitely, it is on the rise in Kansas and across the country.”

According to the 2018 Point In Time count, there were 337 homeless people in Kansas last January. Two hundred eleven were children.