September 17, 2012
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On September 25, 2012, South Dakota Housing for the Homeless Consortium (SDHHC), an affiliate of South Dakota Housing Development Authority, will conduct its annual statewide homeless count.
 
“We are asking for volunteers to join others who are committed to ending homelessness to assist in conducting the count,” said Lisa Bondy, State Coordinator for SDHHC. 
 
Volunteers are trained, teamed up, and given the supplies and information necessary to conduct the count in their neighborhoods, communities, or counties. The count is conducted by interacting with both service agencies and homeless individuals. With the help of volunteers, SDHHC will continue to focus on reaching the more rural areas of the state.
 
“We are asking for volunteers all over the state to help conduct this survey. Our goal is to be in contact with homeless individuals or families and see in what ways we can help”, said Bondy.
 
The statewide survey is broken down into three geographical areas according to counties – West River, East River and Central South Dakota. Stacey Tieszen, Coordinator of the Homeless Advisory Board in Sioux Falls is leading the survey in the eastern part of the state. Andrea Denke with Black Hills Region Homeless Coalition will handle the West River area. South Dakota Housing Development Authority (SDHDA) in Pierre is the contact for the remaining areas of the state.
 
Some of the key findings on September 27, 2011 were:
  • Of the 1,453 homeless individuals, 369 were women, 707 were men and 377 were children.
  • The prime reasons for homelessness were alcoholism, inability to pay rent, and unemployment.
  • Of those surveyed, 15% were single parent families, 75% were individuals, 3% married couples with no children and 6% married couples with children.
Reducing the number of homeless individuals is a national and state priority. By combining the results from this count with a plan of action, SDHHC can assist its members in seeking the appropriate changes to address these problems.
 
SDHHC encourages anyone who is interested in participating in this effort to please contact one of the Coordinators in your area. 
 
·         Lisa Bondy, (605) 773.3445 or lisab@sdhda.org.
·         Stacey Tieszen, Sioux Falls, (605) 367.4217 x121 or stieszen@minnehahacounty.org
·         Andrea Denke, Rapid City, (605) 545.7484 or adenke@cornerstonemission.org