On the night of July 22nd West CAP Homeless Intervention Team, as well as volunteers across the West Central Homeless Coalition, took the streets to locate unhoused individuals and families. This event is called Point-in-Time Count, or PIT. This is done throughout the United States on a specific night to capture a snapshot of what homelessness looks like in our neighborhoods. All information gathered is reported to US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and is utilized to develop the Housing Inventory Chart for the Balance of State Continuum of Care.
The afternoon following the PIT count, West CAP hosted a community connect event in the Stepping Stones parking lot. This was an event for those in need to come and gather community resources, a free lunch, and support from agencies that help serve our homeless population. This was put on by donations gathered from People’s State Bank, WESTconsin Credit Union, Culvers, Bauer Built, Kwik Trip, TS Concrete, Red Cedar Dentistry, Chris and Brenda Thalacker, and O’Sullivan’s Rainbow Resort.
Along with a free lunch, participants received a hygiene bag with items purchased with the donations received. The bags contained items such as toothbrush and toothpaste (donated by Red Cedar Dentistry), deodorant, shampoo, lotion, razors, water bottles, socks, feminine hygiene products, laundry soap, band-aids and anti-bacterial wipes. Without the support of our donors, this event would not have been possible.
West CAP will continue participating in the PIT counts on the 4th Thursday of January and July annually. The After-PIT event will also continue, with hopes of expanding the locations to help assist the entire the West Central Homeless Coalition. To learn more about the Coalition, contact Christy at christyb@wcap.org.