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TYLER (KYTX) -- Imagine the task of counting every homeless person across the country. That's what organizations and volunteers are doing this week, including here in Smith County.
CBS 19's Hayley Wielgus tells us about the Point-In-Time homeless survey that will be conducted tomorrow, and why it's about more than just numbers.
"Some mornings I wake up full of fear like what's going to happen next, what else could go wrong." It's been a tough year for Angela Ashcraft and her husband Quinten. They moved to Texas from Mississippi in hopes Quinten could find a job, but instead they've been homeless. "It's very stressful, stressful on our marriage, stressful on him, stressful on me."
The Ashcrafts have found a place to stay at the Salvation Army. Angela calls it a refuge. "It's warm, comfortable beds, good food, it's really good."
The Salvation Army is one of the Tyler agencies helping homeless people find stability and permanent housing. "Although we're doing more, the need is greater."
Advocate Christina Fulsom says these agencies need an accurate count of the homeless population to receive adequate funding. That's why a point-in-time survey is conducted each year.
Volunteers canvass shelters, soup kitchens and the streets of Smith County counting and interviewing homeless people. "It's a way for us to determine how many people are homeless in our community, why are they homeless, what is the cause, what's keeping them in that homeless state and what services do they need that they're not getting."
Last year's survey found the number of homeless children in Tyler doubled since 2008.
"We expect that number will be even greater this year because so many families have lost their homes over the last year because of the economy."
The Ashcrafts are part of that growing homeless population, and Angela says she knows first-hand counting each person makes a difference. Organizers say the adult homeless population figure in Smith County may come out lower this year -- not because there are fewer homeless people but because the East Texas rescue mission was closed, which will make it harder to find some of them.
