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345 SE 5th, Madras, OR 97741 | 541.475.2275
For the seventh straight year, the Central Oregon Homeless Leadership Coalition is conducting a one-day count of people who are homeless or in transitional housing in Jefferson, Deschutes, and Crook counties.
This count is a part of a national effort to identify the number of people struggling to find appropriate and adequate housing.
Throughout the day on Thursday, Jan. 26, volunteers will be conducting confidential and anonymous surveys in Madras, Bend, LaPine, Sisters, Redmond, and Prineville.
The one-day count will provide the most up-to-date information about the number of individuals in Central Oregon who are struggling to find adequate housing.
Through the data, local agencies and programs are able to qualify for increased funding, better target support services, and develop comprehensive plans to address poverty and homelessness in Central Oregon.
Individuals and families counted through this effort include people living in: weekly motels, shelters, transitional housing, "doubled up" with other families, camping or sleeping in cars, or other places not designed for long-term human habitation.
The Homeless Leadership Coalition often relies on friends and families to aid in identifying people who should be included as a part of the One Night Homeless Count.
If you, or someone you know, should be included in the count, contact 541-280-1137, or visit the local command center site on Jan. 26, to complete a confidential and anonymous survey.
To be counted as a part of this effort, it has to occur on Jan. 26, and people should not try and be counted before that day.
In Madras, the command center will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Madras Christian Church, 115 S.E. C St., across from Sahalee Park.
A soup and sandwich lunch will be served between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., at the church.
Free food, blankets and sleeping bags, pet food, propane, and other items will be available at various command center sites throughout Central Oregon, while supplies last.
Anyone wanting to volunteer to help with the event should contact the church at 541-475-2115. Training days are scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 11, at noon; and Jan. 18, at noon.
For additional information about the impact of homelessness in Central Oregon, visit the Homeless Leadership Coalition's website at www.cohomeless.org.
The site will provide the most up-to-date details about the location of command centers, contact numbers, and additional information about the count.
