NAC Participates in Homeless Count
On January 26th, 11 team members from Native American Connections (NAC) volunteered several hours of their time to participate in the City of Phoenix's annual Homeless Street Count. The count is part of a countrywide effort to provide statistical information to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. The count is federally mandated and secures millions of dollars in federal funding for housing and support services serving homeless individuals and families. Nearly 350 volunteers participated throughout Maricopa county.
Volunteers attended an hour long training on how to spot homeless individuals and how to best approach them. Volunteers then broke up into groups of 2 - 3 people and drove around in designated areas looking for homeless individuals to take record of.
NAC volunteers distributed flyers during the training on our affordable housing properties, some of which primarily serve homeless individuals or families. While volunteers feel that it is emotional and unfortunate to see homeless individuals and families on the street, the groups feel relieved to be able to participate in this project because this is what secures funding for housing. Getting an accurate count will help allocate federal dollars for developments like those that NAC builds. Thanks to all of the NAC volunteers who helped in the effort to secure funding for future housing developments and services!