Louisiana groups take to the streets for annual Point in Time count

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Volunteers from several different organizations met at the one-stop homeless center in Baton Rouge to get an accurate number of how many people are unhoused.

The Point in Time count is like the United States census which calculates the general population. This data is used to help form policies and issue funding for different programs and is a valuable tool in addressing homelessness.

“Once we get these numbers, we take that data and we use it on our legislative side as well as congressional asks or HUD asks to ask for resources and what types of resource are best suited for our population,” Marjorianna Willman said, the Interim Executive Director for LHC.

“There is not enough affordable housing in Baton Rouge or anywhere in the country. So, if anyone especially here could work a minimum wage job or just have a social security income check and still find a safe affordable place to rent, we would not have as much of a problem as we do right now,” Addie Duval said, the Regional Vice President at the Start Corporation.

Organizers say last year during their annual count they discovered that Baton Rouge and surrounding areas have more than 400 homeless people a night.

“They gave me enough stuff. It’s going to help me out. I got some things I need to do tomorrow. I’ll probably be in a shelter,” Joseph said.

The numbers are totaled and used for follow-up attempts. The count will continue throughout the week.

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