The number of individuals experiencing homelessness in Muscogee and Russell counties increased slightly from last year based on preliminary data from a survey conducted Tuesday and Wednesday.
This is the 14th annual survey, known as the Point In Time Count, conducted by Home for Good of United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley. The organization conducts a count of the sheltered and unsheltered population across Muscogee and Russell counties, said Home for Good Executive Director Pat Frey.
Volunteer Adam Coursey conducts a Point in Time Count survey with a client living at Grace House, a transitional living facility for men in Columbus, Ga. on Feb. 22, 2022. Home for Good executes an annual count of those experiencing homelessness in Muscogee and Russell County. Madeleine Cook mcook@ledger-enquirer.com
Until 2022, the number of those experiencing homelessness in the region had declined every year since 2016, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials were shocked by the decreased numbers in 2021, Frey said, but attributed the lower numbers to the fact that the federal eviction moratorium prevented some from losing their homes.
“We don’t know if we’re going to find that this year,” Frey said ahead of the count. “So, if we break even with last year, that would be great.”
The number of people experiencing homelessness rose by 2% from 2021 to 2022, according to the preliminary data provided in the news release. The increase was most likely due to the pandemic.
Donations and Emergency Solutions Grants helped Home for Good and partners mitigate the effect of the pandemic, according to the release. The end of the eviction moratorium resulted in more people reaching out for help, Frey said.
“We have already seen an increase in the number of calls that we get,” she said. “We also have seen an increasing number of those who are seeking assistance for preventing homelessness.”
The Point In Time Count survey, conducted annually by Home for Good, counts the number of people experiencing homelessness in Muscogee and Russel County on Feb. 22, 2022, in Columbus, Ga. Madeleine Cook mcook@ledger-enquirer.com
How the Point In Time Count is used
Everyone reached during the count is given a standardized survey to assess needs and gather information, Frey said, so the organization can make referrals to housing providers.
This type of information from previous counts has made an impact on the community already, she said. Previous surveys found an increase in the number of families experiencing homelessness in the past couple of years.
“We used that data with one of our partners and they changed their model,” she said. “They went from being a program that services single adult males to serving families.”
Eric McClure, a case manager for Home for Good, led the team of volunteers who conducted surveys at Grace House, a transitional housing facility for men, on Tuesday evening. The count’s importance goes beyond helping the community know what needs have to be filled, he said.
“A lot of the homeless people don’t know that there’s resources,” he said. “And the community doesn’t know, if they contribute or donate, how much it could change one person’s life.”
Jermarcus Moore has lived at Grace House since he was evicted from his apartment in November.
When he became homeless, he didn’t know a place like Grace House existed, Moore said, until a case worker from New Horizons Behavioral Health helped him find shelter in the facility. The program helped to keep him off the streets, he said, and provided him with stability in the past few months.
Residents at Grace House, a transitional living facility for men, wait to be surveyed for the Point in Time Count in Columbus, Ga. on Feb. 22, 2022. Home for Good executes an annual count of those experiencing homelessness in Muscogee and Russell County. Madeleine Cook mcook@ledger-enquirer.com
Moore is appreciative of the support he’s received from the program and credits it for helping him find a job. He believes the Point In Time Count will similarly help others.
“You kind of get a different aspect of how certain people go through certain stuff,” Moore said.
Although the preliminary numbers have been released based on the data gathered Tuesday and Wednesday, Frey said, Home for Good will continue to ask people if they’ve been surveyed over the next two weeks to ensure as accurate a count as possible. .
“This drives how we set up programs for economic development and for access to services and programs in our community,” Frey said. “Without the data, we don’t know what we need.”
Brittany McGee is the community issues reporter for the Ledger-Enquirer. She is a 2021 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Media and Journalism with a second degree in Economics. She began at the Ledger-Enquirer as a Report for America corps member covering the COVID-19 recovery in Columbus. Brittany also covered business for the Ledger-Enquirer.
