PATH Homeless Survey

TYLER -– PATH (People Attempting To Help), a human services non-profit, joins the Texas Homeless Network in conducting a Homeless Survey Thursday. PATH officials say it’s part of a continuing effort to address the homelessness issues facing community members in Smith County and throughout the state.

“We will be carrying out this survey and count on the same day as other agencies all over Texas,” said Christina Fulsom, PATH Executive Director. “The survey will result in a comprehensive report on the number of homeless persons – sheltered and unsheltered – in our community; demographics, reasons for becoming and remaining homeless, educational attainment, employment status, health care needs, and other factors will be collected. We have to truly understand the scope of the problem in order to improve our ability to plan and implement effective housing and service programs. The same survey was conducted in January of 2011. 243 homeless individuals, 51 of them children, were identified in Tyler; there were many others we did not find that night.”

The research PATH does is conducted at locations known to be frequented by people who are homeless. Institutional locations include places such as shelters, soup kitchens, and service centers. Non-institutional locations include streets, parks, or abandoned buildings; these locations can become particularly dangerous in Texas, with days of staggering heat in the summer and freezing temperatures in the winter. More difficult to identify, according to PATH, are those staying temporarily with family or friends, those doubling up in overcrowded conditions, those staying in hotels or living in cars, and those congregating in places not known to or accessible to researchers. Many remain transient at all times. For these reasons, data on homelessness are usually considered to be underestimates.

PATH staffers say it is very important that people experiencing homelessness know survey participants are coming out to visit them that night. Those individuals facing circumstances described above are encouraged to come to the following Soup Kitchens: Good Samaritan, Loaves and Fishes, and The Salvation Army. Those staying in shelters will be surveyed in the shelter. Shelters participating include: The Salvation Army and the East Texas Crisis Center.

According to PATH press materials, the Homeless Survey is being conducted in an effort to assist Smith County agencies in the development of comprehensive, long-term solutions to addressing homelessness. In addition, PATH officials say, a Continuum of Care plan will be established that will provide the needed information to participate in the Balance of State Project of the Texas Homeless Network. The Balance of State Project will allow local agencies to apply for funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Continuum of Care funds.

“This homeless survey is a vital step in the Continuum of Care development process and will provide a more accurate picture of the epidemic of homelessness to those who work for shelters and service agencies as well as the community-at-large,” said Ken Martin, executive director of the Texas Homeless Network.