An increasing number of children are experiencing homelessness in Chattahoochee Valley

Caption

Charles Jeffries, Community Data Manager at the United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley, right, surveys a man experiencing homelessness during the 2024 Point in Time Count.

Credit: Mike Haskey / Ledger-Enquirer

An increasing number of children in the Chattahoochee Valley are experiencing homelessness, according to preliminary numbers from the annual Point in Time Count.

United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley’s Home For Good program conducts the count, said Home for Good Vice President Pat Frey, and data from the survey is sent to about 200 individuals representing 35-40 organizations across the community.

It’s also shared with local governments, officials in Columbus, Phenix City and Russell County and area school districts.

Later this week, Home for Good presents its findings at their semi-annual membership meeting where they will compare the numbers from previous years and talk about how the data can be used to develop a plan for Columbus, Phenix City and Russell County.

Highlights from 2024 Point in Time count

Preliminary numbers from the 2024 annual count found the number of homeless children increased for the second consecutive year in the Chattahoochee Valley region.

Children experiencing homelessness totaled 54 in the latest count, an increase of 50% since last year and 112% since 2016.

“I think the number of families with minor children was a little bit higher than we expected,” Frey said.

One reason for this is because an increasing number of women with children experienced hardships in recent years, she said. The increase in homeless children counted could also be attributed to additional emergency shelter for families becoming available, Frey said.

“Those numbers could be indicative of those who might have been doubled up or stayed off the radar before,” she said. “But now are able to access services.”

The total number of people experiencing homelessness rose to 304, from 274, an 11% increase this year.

As accurate as possible

Forty observations included in the total number of homeless are listed as “unknown”, which means individuals did not wish to take a survey or surveyors observed an encampment where no one was present.

An outreach team is currently working to find out if individuals are living in those encampments and asking if people are willing to talk now, Frey said.

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Cpl. Wayne Fairbairn of the Columbus Police Department, left, and Charles Jeffries, Community Data Manager at the United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley, discuss locations that need to be checked while doing the 2024 Point in Time count.

Credit: Mike Haskey / Ledger-Enquirer

“That number will change,” she said. “But we wanted to make sure that we were doing our best to make sure we make contact with everybody possible.”

The accuracy of point in time counts have been called into question in recent years because of the belief that they miss large groups of people.

“I don’t know that (an accurate count) is possible,” Frey said. “No matter what kind of system or protocols or process you use on any given day.”

Caption

Pat Frey, vice president, Home for Good, at the United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley, right, speaks with volunteers participating in the annual Point In Time Count on Jan-29-30, 2024. Volunteers surveyed people experiencing homelessness with both a sheltered count and an unsheltered count.

Credit: Mike Haskey / Ledger-Enquirer

Using data from the Point in Time count to look at one or two years isn’t going to be very helpful, she said, but looking at it over time can show trends. Based on the work Home for Good has done over the past year, she said, the preliminary numbers seem to meet expectations.

Frey became the lead on the survey in 2016 and thinks about what it’s like for people living outside when it’s 21 degrees with winds blowing at 15 miles per hour.

“I don’t think anybody would wish in their life to be outside on that kind of a night,” she said.

Caption

The United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley’s Home for Good program conducted the annual Point In Time Count on Jan-29-30. Volunteers surveyed people experiencing homelessness with both a sheltered count and an unsheltered count. The annual survey by the United Way’s Home for Good program partners with volunteers and United Way’s partner agencies does the survey to further understand who in our community needs help, then uses the information to continue the work to their goal of ending homelessness in the Chattahoochee Valley.

Credit: Mike Haskey / Ledger-Enquirer

Around 90% of people are one financial hardship away from losing their housing, Frey said.

“We have to remember that before we allow our biases to determine what we think about people,” she said.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with the Ledger-Enquirer.