Gilroy
– As the National Guard Armory marks the unofficial start of
winter in South County Monday and opens its doors to Gilroy’s
homeless, county officials and community activists are planning an
ambitious survey project to get an accurate count of the county’s
homeless and vie for unprecedented federal
funds that will come available in the spring.
Gilroy – As the National Guard Armory marks the unofficial start of winter in South County Monday and opens its doors to Gilroy’s homeless, county officials and community activists are planning an ambitious survey project to get an accurate count of the county’s homeless and vie for unprecedented federal funds that will come available in the spring.
It’s estimated that there are about 20,000 homeless countywide. No one knows for sure how many of them call Gilroy’s streets home, but on a typical night, all of the armory’s 125 beds will be full, as will the beds available at Saint Joseph’s Family center and the Boccardo Family Living Center in San Martin.
So, in the early morning hours of Dec. 15, 16 and 17, volunteers will take to the shelters and back alleys of Gilroy to find out which existing services work and what’s missing.
Most of the work will be done by the homeless and former homeless, who are familiar with the population and the places they sleep. A similar count has occurred once every five years since 1989, but people who work with the homeless say that there’s more at stake this year.
“We need to have good data to present in any funding application,” said Dina Campeau, who spent seven years with the Emergency Housing Consortium in San Jose.
Campeau said that accuracy is vital if the county has any hope of receiving funding from the Interagency Council on Homeless, a federal agency formed last year that combines the traditional roles of the Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services and other social policy departments.
This spring, the agency will disburse $70 million to help local jurisdictions fight chronic homelessness. In 2003, the county failed to receive part of $35 million.
Training classes for volunteers will be offered at several locations in South County from Dec. 2 to Dec. 9. Homeless volunteers will be paid $10 and hour.
Details: Marilyn Roaf at 846-0241.
