Local COC gathers homeless data under shadow of federal memo

Jacob Torner, vice president of programs for TaskForce Fore Ending Homelessness. Photo by Glory Reitz
Jacob Torner, vice president of programs for TaskForce Fore Ending Homelessness.
Photo by Glory Reitz

The North Central Florida Continuum of Care (CoC) began the annual three-day Point-in-Time (PIT) Count on Tuesday morning, surveying homeless people across North Central Florida. 

As 130 volunteers, joined by CoC staff and public safety personnel, took to the streets in Alachua, Bradford and Putnam counties starting at 5:30 a.m., news began to leak out of a memorandum from Matthew Vaeth, acting director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, freezing all federal aid effective 5 p.m. Tuesday. 

The memo, available here through NBC News, instructs federal agencies to pause disbursement of financial assistance in order to identify and review all financial assistance programs and supporting activities for consistency with new President Donald Trump’s “policies and requirements.” 

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“The Point-in-Time Count is more than just a data collection effort—it’s a powerful opportunity to engage with our community and understand the challenges faced by our neighbors,” Keanna Johnson, CoC director, said in a press release. “Together, we can use this knowledge to drive meaningful solutions and create pathways to housing stability for everyone in our community.” 

The PIT Count is funded by a federal planning grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), according to Jacob Torner, vice president of programs for the CoC’s lead agency, TaskForce Fore Ending Homelessness. HUD mandates the PIT Count as part of a nationwide effort, executed by local CoCs. 

If the CoC is unable to submit its PIT Count expenses for reimbursement under the grant, that will “significantly impact” the continuation of the PIT Count. Torner said he hoped to receive more information Tuesday afternoon from state and federal partners about how to proceed. 

The PIT survey collects a wide range of data from those who choose to participate, the findings of which will be compiled into a comprehensive public report that helps inform policy enhancements and improve and fund service efforts. 

“The PIT Count really allows us to capture vital data that without, we would not be able to provide the services that we provide because securing the funding for these resources requires high quality and highly accurate data,” Jacob Torner, Taskforce’s vice president of programs, said at a press conference Tuesday held at the United Way of North Central Florida in Gainesville.  

Torner said the PIT count data’s purpose is to give an “accurate picture of homelessness,” not to come up with exact numbers of how many in the community are homeless, which he said is updated in real-time through the Homeless Management Information System. 

Mark Watson, vice president of homeless shelter GRACE Marketplace’s outreach program, said housing is always the top priority. 

“These numbers help us justify the presence of people that need a place to live, but we also need that place for them to live, and then we need appropriate follow-up care services to ensure that they’re able to stay inside,” Watson said. “Without that, we will never be successful and never solve this problem, because it’s a huge problem that is beyond just our community.” 

As of 11:50 a.m. Tuesday, the PIT Count had already surveyed 140 people across Bradford, Putnam and Alachua counties, according to Torner. Of those, 106 were in Alachua County, eight in Bradford and 26 in Putnam County. 

Continued surveying in Alachua County is planned for tomorrow, as well as in Gilchrist and Levy on Thursday. 

“We are focusing on the city of Gainesville and the downtown cluster. However, we are covering the entire region, so we’ll have volunteers and surveyors in the wooded areas and in the outlying rural parts of our community as well, to ensure that nobody’s left uncounted,” Torner said. 

The CoC also scheduled town hall meetings for January to gain community input on how to improve its strategy and action plan, with one more left at 10 a.m. on Jan. 31 at the Freedom Community Center (7340 NW 41st Lane) in Gainesville. 

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