Studying Time: 2 minutes
On Jan. 22, Wisconsin Watch reporter Hallie Claflin and photojournalist Joe Timmerman joined a gaggle of volunteers in Jefferson County in a single day to watch the annual “cut-off date” rely of the homeless inhabitants. These counts are carried out on the identical night time in January throughout the nation to offer a one-night snapshot of homelessness.
However this rely has a number of pitfalls, as famous in our latest investigation.
What did they discover? A pair of devoted volunteers and a rely that, whereas growing, nonetheless struggles to seize the true homeless inhabitants, particularly in rural areas.
What made us excited about observing the PIT rely?
In December, we traveled 4 hours to the small city of Shell Lake the place a homeless father and daughter who had been residing of their automobile for over a yr gave us a glimpse into their on a regular basis lives. After extensively investigating the rural homelessness disaster throughout the state, we realized this household wouldn’t have proven up within the January PIT rely as a result of they had been quickly staying in a good friend’s basement.
We wished to know who really will get counted, and who doesn’t. The unhoused inhabitants is growing, however who’s lacking from the info?
What we noticed
After attending Gov. Tony Evers’ State of the State deal with on the State Capitol within the night, we hopped within the automobile and headed to Jefferson County for the late night time rely. We rode together with the volunteers as they surveyed the county. A contemporary layer of snow added much more chew to the single-digit temperature, and we couldn’t stand outdoors for for much longer than a couple of minutes earlier than retreating to the heated automobile.
In Johnson Creek, we discovered automobiles lined up at the back of a neighborhood restaurant and truck cease. Right here, a number of individuals had been discovered sleeping of their autos, one with a baby within the again. The volunteers, Sandy Hahn and Britanie Peaslee, had been fast to offer them an additional blanket. The lady and baby inside had been residing within the van for six months, and she or he was working on the restaurant.
On the drive, the pair shared tales about previous PIT counts that they had participated in. We adopted alongside as they drove by way of parking heaps, checked round corners, went into public bogs, searched relaxation stops, and requested gasoline station employees if that they had seen anybody who was unhoused.
One other individual sleeping in a automobile wouldn’t have interaction with them. Due to this, they couldn’t verbally confirm that they had been homeless, which implies they weren’t included within the official rely. The automobile was working — seemingly for heat — and the home windows had been coated with blankets for privateness.
We shortly realized many unhoused individuals aren’t included within the rely based mostly on this rule alone, among the many many different restrictions on who they’ll rely.
The volunteers left a blanket on the windshield and continued on, acknowledging that if of their place, they’d even be hesitant to speak to 2 strangers at 2 a.m. within the snow.
Peaslee and Hahn had been thorough of their search and had been one in every of 4 teams protecting the county.
It was clear the volunteers might search all day and all night time and nonetheless by no means discover a fraction of the full inhabitants, however they do their finest with the rules they’re given.
We parted methods round 4 a.m. — barely staying awake — and made it again to our heat residences by 4:30.
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