By Kelly Barlow
Smithfield Times Staff writer
The homeless are being asked to come out and be counted — and in return, receive a $5 gift certificate to a local fast food restaurant.
The count begins tonight at 7 p.m. and continues through 6:59 p.m. on Thursday.
“We would really like to encourage them to come to Mission of Hope on the night of the 27th,” social services worker Vickie Moody said. Mission of Hope is a conglomerate of local churches that offer shelter to the homeless during the winter months. This week Mission of Hope is at Smithfield Baptist Church on Wainwright Drive.
The annual homeless count is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Getting an accurate point-in-time count of the homeless helps HUD determine what funding the county will get, funding that goes toward helping the homeless find shelter.
For the count, the homeless do not need to provide their names, only initials, said Moody. “This way their privacy is protected.”
It’s so important for the homeless to be counted, Moody said.
“That’s how we get the funding to better assist them.”
Last year’s counts played a big part in Isle of Wight, Franklin and Southampton counties receiving the Homeless Prevention Rapid Re-housing Program grant last fall.
“The grant is to prevent homelessness,” Moody said. It provides funding necessary to get the homeless into housing, keep them from getting evicted or maintain shelter, she said.
Isle of Wight is administering the grant, which is distributed over the course of three years.
Those in need must apply and there are many qualifications they must meet, but to date, Moody said the grant has already helped 115 families or individuals.
The statistics from the annual homeless count keep those kinds of grant monies available, she said.
“It does make a difference.”
Last January, when Social Services, local law enforcement and volunteers conducted the annual point-in-time search of homeless in Isle of Wight County, the count came in at 17.
At that time, Moody knew many more had gone uncounted, but searching the county’s more than 300 square miles in a 24-hour time frame is difficult at best.
“The homeless are not as visible here as they are in the cities, where they gather in the public areas. In Isle of Wight there are lots of woods,” said Moody.
