A new definition for ‘homeless’ in Clallam County

PORT ANGELES — Clallam County’s population of homeless people may rise in 2009 — when the official definition of homelessness widens to include some people who already are sheltered.

The annual Point in Time census of people who have no safe and stable place to live will take place Jan. 29, conducted by volunteers from Serenity House and other private and public agencies.

The number had dropped from 1,055 in 2006 to 807 in 2007 and to 765 last winter.

But members of the Shelter Providers Network — a coalition of more than 50 agencies — learned Tuesday that the 2009 census must include people in permanent supportive housing.

Permanent supportive housing provides both shelter and assistance to people with physical or mental disorders that may include substance abuse.

One such shelter recently opened in The Tempest Building, formerly Aggie’s Motel, at 535 E. First St.

HUD mandates change

Nick Mondau of the Olympia office of the state Community, Trade and Economic Development addressed the network’s monthly meeting and explained the change.

Including permanent supportive housing in the homeless definition was the mandate of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, he said.

The census will count people in such housing, but not collect their names or personal data, Mondau said.

They will join the census of people traditionally designated as homeless who include those living in vehicles, substandard buildings and emergency shelters; persons who are “couch surfing” at the homes of friends or relatives; and people in transitional housing.

Transitional housing is provided by agencies such as Serenity House for individuals and families who are on their way to acquiring regular permanent housing.

Free food, pet care

The Point in Time census uses a variety of techniques to tally people who may be invisible to traditional censuses.

Tactics include offering free lunches and dinners; interviewing people at social service agencies, emergency rooms and free clinics; visiting places where homeless persons are known to gather; giving away personal hygiene items; even providing free pet food and veterinary services.

Actual night-time street counts have found fewer people since the Serenity House Street Outreach Shelter opened in 2006 and found a permanent home last April at 520 E. First St.

Other communities use other methods. Seattle, for instance, counts people as they sleep in shelters or on the streets.

Mondau called Clallam County “a model area for how the count goes.”

Kathy Wahto, Serenity House executive director, said Point in Time volunteers try to do more than simply count people.

“We’re trying to count, but we’re also trying to connect,” she said. “We want to do more if we can. We give them connections to services.”

The slogan for the census — which Wahto admitted had been copied from a similar count in Spokane — is “In Clallam County, everybody counts.”

________

Reporter Jim Casey can be reached at 360-417-3538 or at jim.casey@peninsuladailynews.com.

More in News

A 65-foot-long historic tug rests in the Port of Port Townsend Boat Haven Marina’s 300-ton marine lift as workers use pressure washers to blast years of barnacles and other marine life off the hull. The tug was built for the U.S. Army at Peterson SB in Tacoma in 1944. Originally designated TP-133, it is currently named Island Champion after going through several owners since the army sold it in 1947. It is now owned by Debbie Wright of Everett, who uses it as a liveaboard. The all-wood tug is the last of its kind and could possibly be entered in the 2025 Wooden Boat Festival.(Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Wooden wonder

A 65-foot-long historic tug rests in the Port of Port Townsend Boat… Continue reading

Mark Nichols.
Petition filed in murder case

Clallam asks appeals court to reconsider

A 35-year-old man was taken by Life Flight Network to Harborview Medical Center following a Coast Guard rescue on Monday. (U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles via Facebook)
Injured man rescued from remote Hoh Valley

Location requires precision 180-foot hoist

Kevin Russell, right, with his wife Niamh Prossor, after Russell was inducted into the Building Industry Association of Washington’s Hall of Fame in November.
Building association’s priorities advocate for housing

Port Angeles contractor inducted into BIAW hall of fame

Crew members from the USS Pomfret, including Lt. Jimmy Carter, who would go on to become the 39th president of the United States, visit the Elks Lodge in Port Angeles in October 1949. (Beegee Capos)
Former President Carter once visited Port Angeles

Former mayor recalls memories of Jimmy Carter

Thursday’s paper to be delivered Friday

Peninsula Daily News will have an electronic edition on… Continue reading

Counties agree on timber revenue

Recommendation goes to state association

Port of Port Angeles, tribe agree to land swap

Stormwater ponds critical for infrastructure upgrades

Poet Laureate Conner Bouchard-Roberts is exploring the overlap between poetry and civic discourse. (Elijah Sussman/Peninsula Daily News)
PT poet laureate seeks new civic language

City library has hosted events for Bouchard-Roberts

Five taken to hospitals after three-car collision

Five people were taken to three separate hospitals following a… Continue reading

John Gatchet of Gardiner, left, and Mike Tabak of Vancouver, B.C., use their high-powered scopes to try to spot an Arctic loon. The recent Audubon Christmas Bird Count reported the sighting of the bird locally so these bird enthusiasts went to the base of Ediz Hook in search of the loon on Sunday afternoon. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Bird watchers

John Gatchet of Gardiner, left, and Mike Tabak of Vancouver, B.C., use… Continue reading

Forks schools to ask for levy

Measure on Feb. 11 special election ballot