Statewide Homeless Count to be Conducted in January
PIERRE, S.D. – On Jan. 22, 2019, South Dakota Housing for the Homeless Consortium (SDHHC), an affiliate of South Dakota Housing Development Authority (SDHDA), will conduct its annual statewide Point-In-Time (PIT) homeless count.
The Point-In-Time homeless count is a critical source of annual data on homeless persons and families, providing characteristics of people who are experiencing homelessness. Data from the annual PIT homeless count is used to measure homelessness on local, state, and national levels. PIT count data helps policy makers and communities measure progress, identify strengths and gaps in services, increases public awareness of homelessness, and enhances system planning and responses.
With the help of volunteers across the state, SDHHC will complete a count of homeless persons within the geographic area of South Dakota. To be effective, SDHHC divides the state into six count areas. There are coordinators in each area who will be working with agencies and volunteers to conduct the 2019 PIT count. Coordinators and their areas are listed below. If you have been involved with the count in the past, or would like to be involved, please contact the individuals in your area for more information on training and organization plans for communities.
- Sioux Falls Contact: Suzanne Smith, Augustana Research Institute, (605) 274-5010 or suzanne.smith@augie.edu
- Rapid City Contact: Maryann Leanna, Cornerstone Rescue Mission, (605) 721-9497 or mleanna@cornerstonemission.org
- Minnehaha, Grant, Deuel, Codington, Hamlin, Clark, Kingsbury, Brookings, Miner, Lake, Lincoln, Moody, McCook, Turner Contacts: Arleen Weerheim, Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership, (605) 256-6518 or aweerheim@interlakescap.com and Tammie Denning 605-334-2808 or tdenning@interlakescap.com
- Beadle, Brown, Campbell, Day, Edmunds, Faulk, Hand, Hughes, Hyde, Marshall, McPherson, Potter, Roberts, Spink, Stanley, Sully, Walworth Contact: Patrick Gallagher, GROW South Dakota, (605) 626-2565 or patrick@growsd.org
- Bennett, Butte, Corson, Custer, Dewey, Fall River, Jackson, Haakon, Harding, Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, Perkins, Ziebach, Oglala Lakota Contact: Laurie Theilmann, Western South Dakota Community Action Partnership, (504) 348-1460 or Laurie@wsdca.org
- Aurora, Bon Homme, Brule, Buffalo, Charles Mix, Clay, Davison, Douglas, Gregory, Lyman, Mellette, Sanborn, Todd, Trip, Union, Yankton, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld, Jones Contact: Darcie Bultje, Rural Office of Community Services, (605) 487-7634 or dbultje@Rocsinc.org
