Macomb County --"Macomb County Homeless"
January 29, 2007 by jewelry commentMACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN
Volunteers gather to count the homeless MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN
ROSEVILLE MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN, -- About 503 homeless people were interviewed Thursday at Erin Presbyterian Church MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN on Gratiot north of 12 Mile, in an effort by a homeless coalition to connect them with human service agencies.
Carrie Fortune,MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN coordinator for the Macomb Continuum of Care and the Macomb Homeless Coalition, expects to reach the 2005 record of 947 homeless people who were counted and offered services.
About 75 volunteers were on hand to help.MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN
"And that doesn't include the volunteers from 40 different agencies who are here," said Fortune. MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN
Officials expect it will take at least a week to have results of the count completed. The homeless group will enter the data it collected into a computer system that enables each county in Metro Detroit MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN to keep track of the homeless population.
Wayne County MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN also conducted a homeless count Thursday. Oakland County did its count Wednesday. MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN
The Macomb Continuum MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN of Care is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's long-range plan for addressing the needs of the homeless. The Macomb Homeless Coalition is an umbrella association of providers of shelter and supportive services. MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN
The human services agencies -- including the Macomb County Emergency Rotating Shelter Team, the Salvation Army and the United Way -- were on hand to offer help to the homeless. MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN
The groups handed out clothes, coats and shoes as well as provided haircuts and health screenings.MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN
Cheryl Rafferty, 46, of St. Clair Shores,MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN volunteered to help out at the St. Vincent de Paul booth.MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN
"I've been on the receiving end of some of these community agencies and I know how hard it can be to live out there with nothing," she said. "I'm hoping I can make a difference.MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN
"If we can get just one person hooked up with a program that can help them -- even just with a bus ticket to get back and forth -- then it's a start."MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN
Like other counties, Macomb County is required by the federal and state government to conduct a census of the homeless every two years to receive funding for programs.
"Besides that, though, it's an important research tool for us," Fortune said. "It helps us gauge where we are in our battle against homelessness."
The last time the county conducted the count two years ago, it found 947 homeless people -- 200 of whom were children.MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN
The county's Homeless Coalition estimates there is an average of 1,000 homeless people in Macomb County. Last year, agencies in the county housed about 2,500 homeless people, Fortune said. MACOMB COUNTY, MICHIGAN
"This year, we're expecting to see more homeless families," she said.
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