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(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) –The Santa Maria/Santa Barbara County Continuum of Care (CoC), in partnership with the County of Santa Barbara and The Santa Barbara Alliance for Community Transformation (SBACT), invites volunteers to participate in the countywide 2024 Homeless Point-In-Time Count from 5:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 24, 2024. The Point-In-Time Count is the annual count of individuals and families experiencing homelessness on a given day.
Teams of volunteers will canvas assigned routes throughout Santa Barbara County and will briefly document who is experiencing homelessness. This information is used to plan local homeless assistance systems, justify funding, and raise public awareness.
All volunteers are required to attend a training session. In this 1-hour session, volunteers will learn more about the importance of the count, review canvassing best practices, explore the Point-In-Time survey tool, FAQs and more. To make this training as accessible as possible, online trainings are offered on varied days and times between January 16th and 19th. In-person training opportunities in Isla Vista, Lompoc and Santa Maria will also be available, with days and times announced in January. Only one training in-person or virtually is required. To volunteer, please sign up at https://countyofsb.pointintime.info/. Volunteers can register as individuals or in teams. The final day to sign up to volunteer is January 19, 2024. Spanish training is available upon request, please email pit@sbact.org by January 11, 2024.
Jett Black-Maertz, Housing Program Specialist, Sr. with the County of Santa Barbara Community Services Department said, “The Point in Time Count results influence everything from services offered to funding available. It is important we have an accurate count, and we cannot do that without the help of volunteers. Homelessness is a community problem that requires a community-wide solution.”
The Point-In-Time count is only possible with a community-wide effort by the incredible support of many volunteers and partners.
Continuum of Care(CoC) Program
The Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is designed to promote communitywide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness; promote access to and effect utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and support self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
The County of Santa Barbara supports the Continuum of Care and the Coordinated Entry System, a no-wrong door, countywide system that engages and connects individuals and families experiencing homelessness to the optimal resources for their needs. We believe that everyone deserves a safe place to call home for good.
All are welcome; please go to https://countyofsb.pointintime.info/ and let us know if you plan to participate.