After a pause in 2021, the annual Santa Barbara County homeless Point-In-Time Count is returning with the goal of getting 300 to 400 volunteers to participate in the data-gathering process, Housing Program Specialist Jett Black-Maertz said.
During the last 10 days in January, counties across the nation participate in the Point-In-Time Count, when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is required to count individual people experiencing homelessness. This will be the first year the count’s been conducted since the pandemic began, Black-Maertz said.
“We want to find out how COVID has impacted our unstably housed or unhoused populations. HUD provided a waiver in 2021, but not this year,” Black-Maertz said.
Volunteers throughout the county on Jan. 26 will ask individuals experiencing homelessness questions about their last known permanent address, where they first experienced homelessness, if they haven’t been able to work because of a disability, and if COVID-19 caused job or shelter loss, she said.
“We got a lot of questions in the past because there was this myth that people were coming from outside the county for our services. Any community you speak to says that. It’s not that Santa Barbara has any weaker or stronger services, but it’s this idea of ‘othering.’ It’s this idea [that] they aren’t coming from here; it’s a sociological phenomenon,” Black-Maertz said.
The 2020 count showed that of the 1,897 homeless individuals residing in the county, more than 75 percent of the homeless population had their last known permanent address in Santa Barbara County, she continued.
“It’s the people that are living here that are becoming homeless. It’s due to the cost of living and the availability of housing,” Black-Maertz said. “We are not able to build affordable housing fast enough to house all of the people that need it. Our housing authorities work very closely with nonprofits and for-profit, but the cost of building is so high it’s difficult to move projects forward as quickly as we need to.”
Collecting this data will help demonstrate the county’s need, inform projects—like the Homelessness Encampment Protocol—and get project funding, she said.
“Funding stems from the data collecting we do; it’s one of the things considered when allocating funds locally. It’s important we get it right and [resolve] so many misconceptions,” Black-Maertz said. “The Point-In-Time Count is so important to our area.”
This is a chance for volunteers to make connections and give back to their community, she said.
“It gives people the opportunities to understand why people are homeless, and to see that they are people. They didn’t just spring out of nowhere, they have a past. The volunteer is able to witness the other side of humanity that I think we [often] shelter ourselves from,” Black-Maertz added.
The Point-In-Time Count is one of the safer volunteer opportunities because it’s outdoors and people can choose a group option when signing up to work with those who they’re already in close contact with, she said.
“We are pushing for groups. … It doesn’t mean we are excluding individuals, but they are going to be in contact with people they don’t know. By asking people to form their own teams, we are hoping to decrease the chances of transmission,” Black-Maertz said.
As of Jan. 5, about 200 people had signed up to volunteer, Black-Maertz estimated.
“We do need a massive amount of volunteers. Everyone counts, and we can’t do that without a large number of volunteers,” Black-Maertz said. “It’s so important [to know] where and how we allocate services. If we don’t have enough volunteers, we won’t be able to see where the need is. They help us understand our community so much more than without them. We couldn’t do this without them.”
The count begins at 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 26. Volunteers will arrive at group centers across cities in the county to check in and receive hygiene bags to hand out. All volunteers will get a mask and hand sanitizer upon arrival.
Volunteers can learn more and sign up at countyofsb.pointintime.info.
Clarification/update (as of 1/19):
Santa Barbara County recently announced that it was rescheduling the homeless Point-In-Time count to Feb. 23 due to the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases. The Sun’s Jan. 12 Spotlight, “The annual Santa Barbara County homeless Point-In-Time Count needs volunteers,” included the original date. Volunteers who registered for the original date of Jan. 26 have been informed about the change, and the county still needs hundreds of volunteers. To register and stay up to date with information, visit countyofsb.pointintime.info.
Highlight
• On Jan. 15 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., the Santa Maria Public Library will host a do-it-yourself workshop on making salt and sugar scrubs. Guests will learn how to mix natural ingredients to make two different homemade body scrubs. Salt and sugar scrubs work to remove dead skin cells from the body, cleaning and smoothing the skin. All materials will be provided. Seating is limited, and registration is required. To register, visit the library’s online events calendar at cityofsantamaria.org/library, or by calling (805) 925-0994, Ext. 8562. The library is located at 421 South McClelland St.
Taylor O’Connor wrote this week’s Spotlight. You can reach her at toconnor@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 13-20, 2022.