CENTRAL, Texas — The Central Texas Homeless Coalition needs your help on Jan. 26 with their "Pont in Time" or "PIT" count, so they can make sure unhoused citizens in Central Texas receive needed care.
You can sign up here if you're interested in volunteering for the next count.
The "PIT" count is necessary to help get the number of unhoused people and their location to government programs, so they know where to send help.
"If we don't make PIT counts, communities could lose funding opportunities that they get to address homelessness and poverty," president of the CTX Homeless Coalition, Bobby Ehrig, said.
In 2022, approximately 320 people and 51 children experienced homelessness in Central Texas. The coalition expects to count 300 to 400 individuals and families in 2023.
With your help, the coalition will have more volunteers on Jan. 26 that can go out and make sure every unhoused person or family is accounted for.
On the day of, you'll receive a map and a kit so that you not only know where you're going to help the unhoused, but you have resources to help them along the way.
Volunteers like Dusty Freeby have volunteered with the coalition for the past five years. Freeby said getting to go out and volunteer is rewarding.
"Being able to help someone, move them up and move them forward, it does really help," she said.
Freeby knows firsthand how homelessness can impact people; her own family members experienced it from time to time when she was growing up.
"To go out and help others find a was back is life-changing", she added.
"You just put yourself in their shoes," she said.
The Information gathered will help the coalition expand the ongoing Strategic Homeless Initiative for the region, helping make homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring for our most vulnerable citizens.
No experience is needed in order to volunteer. For more information, click here.