From Lydia C. Pickett, MACH Executive Director
The Mid-Alabama Coalition for the Homeless (MACH) is conducting its annual homeless Point-in-Time Count on the evening of Tuesday, January 28, 2020. A point-in-time count is an unduplicated count on a single night of the people in a community who are experiencing homelessness, including both sheltered and unsheltered populations. The Count is required for local community agencies to receive homeless assistance funds distributed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
During the annual January enumeration, MACH volunteers and staff members canvass the streets of Montgomery in search of unsheltered homeless individuals and families. Teams of volunteers target different areas of the City where the homeless are known to congregate and conduct interviews with each person to determine their background and needs. The teams also distribute food, hygiene items, blankets, and coats to those encountered on the streets. Teams will leave from Friendship Mission West on Mobile Highway at 3pm and work until approximately 8pm.
“The Point-in-Time Count is an annual snapshot of our community’s homeless population. It is an important tool in helping MACH and its members reach homeless persons in our area to assess their needs and get their input about local services,” said Lydia Pickett, Executive Director of the Mid-Alabama Coalition for the Homeless. Many of the winter items that will be distributed during the Point-in-Time Count were collected during MACH’s annual blanket drive in November. Thanks to many volunteers and donors, MACH received 3,731 blankets, coats/jackets, socks, gloves, hats, shoes, hats, and other items during a three-week period in 2019, and donations from the community are continuing to pour in steadily since then. Pickett stated, “Many of the things we take for granted, such as a pair of socks or a warm coat, are invaluable to people who are experiencing homelessness. The Point-in-Time Count is one mechanism that allows local homeless service providers to have direct interactions with persons in need and begin conversations that can potentially connect them to resources to obtain permanent housing.”
About the Mid-Alabama Coalition for the Homeless
The Mid-Alabama Coalition for the Homeless serves as a vehicle to secure HUD funding and provides support to and resources for organizations that provide services for the homeless in the River Region. Founded in 2001, MACH is the Continuum of Care for a five-county area and is responsible for devising methods to alleviate homelessness, providing services to the homeless and to those at risk of becoming homeless, and conducting a yearly survey of homeless individuals within its geographic boundaries. MACH is the leader for the Montgomery community in efforts to plan, coordinate, and develop resources with the goal of ending homelessness.
