Rockford Sun

The city of Rockford recently announced its intention to focus on helping homeless youth in 2017.

During its annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count of the homeless, the city and Winnebago and Boone County will conduct two counts of the homeless -- one for adults and one for youth ages 16 to 24.

Rockford ended veteran homelessness in 2015. It was nearing the end of chronic homelessness in 2016 and is focused on ending youth homelessness in 2017.

“We have seen great success in addressing two specialized populations, veterans and the chronically homeless, over the past two years,” Community Services Director Jennifer Jaeger said. “We are going to continue to utilize those same tools to address some of the most vulnerable people in the area, homeless youth.”

Homelessness is defined as sheltered or unsheltered. An adult experiencing sheltered homelessness is sleeping in a shelter, transitional housing or an agency-paid hotel or motel room. Sleeping outside or in outbuildings or other areas not intended for human habitation is considered unsheltered.

 

When counting homeless youth, lacking permanent indoor shelter is considered homelessness. This may include couch-surfing, or sleeping in a car, abandoned building, outbuilding or on the street.

The PIT will commence at 2 p.m. on Jan. 23. It will end 24 hours later, at 2 p.m. on Jan. 24. Outreach staff will reach out to unsheltered individuals while housing program staff and volunteers will survey their participants.

“The Point-in-Time Count is an essential tool in helping us assess the services and resources needed to address the issue of youth homelessness in our community,” City of Rockford Human Services Housing Advocate Angie Walker said. “We encourage everyone in the community to help us push the word out so that we can help ensure that everyone has a place they can call home.”