Counting The Homeless In America's Poorest City
"Mark Johnston, acting assistant secretary in the Office of Community Planning and Development at HUD, stresses that the [Point in Time Count] is just one of 50 to 60 factors it looks at when determining funding -- including how successful agencies are at getting people jobs and housing. He acknowledges that the count isn't perfect..." by Blake Ellis @blakeellis3 This article was originally published by CNN on 2/13/14 As the temperature plunged into the low teens on a January morning in Camden, N.J., seven aid workers set out on a daunting mission: to count the homeless in the nation's poorest city. Making rounds to shelters, warming centers, soup kitchens and "tent cities," the workers and volunteers helping out with this year's count were trying to find as many homeless people as they could within 24 hours. The federal government requires communities to conduct a homeless count at least every other year to qualify for fund...