North Shore NewsALEA Bridge (AB), with the help of over 110 com- munity volunteers, once again took the lead for the 2019 Point-In-Time Count (PITC) for Region 5, can- vassing encampments throughout Mililani, Wahiawa, and the North Shore in the morning, afternoon, and evening hours of January 22nd to 25th. The annual count is a vital part of a national process to obtain fed- eral funding for critical housing and homeless services. The organization expected a slightly lower number of unsheltered homeless compared to last year.
Groups of volunteers set out by car and on foot, seeking out homeless individuals and families willing to participate in the survey. Having incentives of wa- ter, snacks, hygiene & first aid kits on hand helped to break the ice. Most survey participants openly shared their information, although there were more people this year who chose not to participate than in previous years. HPD Officers were also on standby, in case the volunteers needed assistance. Thankfully, there were no incidents reported.
AB and its volunteers successfully surveyed and veri- fied 251 individuals over 4 days of the Count. When the official Oahu results were released in early May, the report showed 280 unsheltered, homeless individuals in Region 5. We believe the difference is due to sur- veys conducted outside of the region, as well as the inclusion of the unconfirmed/incomplete surveys. So despite AB connecting nearly 100 people to housing since the last PITC, there was only a 1% decrease from 2018 to 2019. This means we need to increase our ef- forts to bring more resources to the community and renew our focus to connect the most service-resistant to housing and supportive services. We must commit to making a bigger impact in the homeless population next year.
AB would like to thank its partners in this huge ef- fort: Partners in Care, HPD District 2, Latter-Day Saints Mililani Stake, North Shore News/North Shore Food- bank, Dept. of Veteran Affairs, Hope, Inc., Living Word Ministry, Salvation Army, and Wahiawa Health. Spe- cial recognition for our elected officials, Senator Dono- van Dela Cruz and Representatives Amy Perruso and Lauren Matsumoto, who provided support throughout the process. And most of all, the awesome volunteers who helped to ensure a comprehensive, accurate, and safe count. This was a tremendous team effort from many individuals and groups from the surrounding communities. Sincere thanks and gratitude for your energy, support and generosity.
We encourage the community to get involved in helping to provide solutions for the homeless issues impacting our community. Give us a call or check us out online (808-379-2532, www.aleabridge.org, www. facebook.com/aleabridge).