Volunteers gathered on January 25 for the semi-annual Point in Time Count conducted by the Housing and Homelessness Coalition. Working in teams and with the support of Wausau Police Department,they spent the overnight hours looking for unsheltered homeless individuals in the greater Wausau area. Homeless individuals were offered information on resources in the community that might be able to assist them, and invited to Project Connect at The Salvation Army on January 26.
Approximately 70 people did attend the Project Connect event, where they were able to speak with representatives from many local agencies about available resources and programs. They also received a free lunch and had the opportunity to pick up some warm winter clothing. Between the two events, 3 individuals were identified as unsheltered/homeless. The numbers of individuals that were in shelter that evening are not yet available, but shelters have been running near capacity in recent months. Over the last several years, the Point In Time Count average for sheltered individuals is 94 and volunteers expect that this year's count will be similar.
