Local efforts to document and manage homelessness in Clark County saw its big day of action on Thursday, Jan. 26, as Project Homeless Connect and the annual Point in Time Count took place to support those in need.
At St. Joseph Catholic Church in Vancouver, dozens of agencies and groups gathered to provide information and resources to individuals who are experiencing homelessness.
Thursday’s event marked the first time it has functioned at full strength since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, there was no Project Homeless Connect, and in 2022, the event was put on in a reduced capacity, said Council for the Homeless Deputy Director Sunny Wonder.
In 2020, the event served about 240 individuals, Wonder said. From observations late into the morning, she said this year seemed comparable to those numbers.
“It’s really cool to see this many folks here after this long of a gap,” Wonder said.
Amid the sounds of barking dogs who waited in line for a pet clinic put on by the Humane Society for Southwest Washington, Wonder spoke about some of the changes to this year’s event. Although largely the same agencies and services returned, she noted Project Homeless Connect was coordinated by a group outside of the Council for the Homeless known as Thrive2Survive.
Wonder said Thrive2Survive’s expertise in putting on events similar to Project Homeless Connect helped with effective outreach.
“We know that we’re not going to be experts in every single area, so bringing them in to coordinate these pieces has been so cool to see,” Wonder said.
Thrive2Survive has the ability to tackle “getting the word out, ensuring that the resources that are here are relevant, that make sense … as opposed to us making assumptions,” she said.
The day also marked the annual Point in Time Count. Required by the Washington State Department of Commerce, the count includes volunteers that go across the county to spots where individuals who are experiencing homelessness are likely to be. They gather demographic information and provide a tally on how many people are in that situation.
The data from the Point in Time Count will be released in May. Last year, 1,197 individuals who were experiencing homelessness were counted, 31% over the number counted in January 2020.
This year featured 14 teams that went out across the county for the Point in Time count, which Wonder said is a significant increase. She said that increase helps record homelessness in North Clark County and notes the difference rural homelessness has compared to the experience in Vancouver.
The biggest change for this year included having another organization handle the coordination of participating organizations.
Charles Hanset, the founder and president of Thrive2Survive, said he started the organization out of his station wagon in 2018 by providing McChicken sandwiches, clothes and resources to those in need.
“That was the key — resources,” Hanset said.
A big part of the coordination was using relationships Hanset and Thrive2Survive have built over the years. Putting on outreach events is something Thrive2Survive has a lot of experience in, but transportation is the biggest challenge for Project Homeless Connect, Hanset said. As in past years, the event featured shuttles that brought people who could utilize the resources to the event from around Clark County.
Hanset has been in recovery from drug addiction for nearly six years. He began his outreach shortly after he started that journey, Hanset said. He was particularly moved after meeting a woman who had only a tarp to protect her from the pouring rain.
He remembered seeing her later at one of Thrive2Survive’s events, on medication and with her own place, making a perfect example of what Hanset wants to achieve through his organization.
Hanset said Project Homeless Connect allows for a wide range of agencies and groups to get involved at the same time, which makes a larger impact than smaller outreach efforts at specific encampments.
“You can only bring so many volunteers to a camp,” Hanset said.
He noted many of those working and volunteering for groups like Thrive2Survive have experienced homelessness themselves at some point. He said having a “peer aspect” to outreach efforts helps build successful connections with people who need the resources the most.
“It keeps you real and raw,” Hanset said.
Through his work with Thrive2Survive and Recovery Cafe Clark County, Hanset said he realizes the help it takes to put forth successful outreach efforts.
“It took a village to get me where I’m at, and it takes a village to do this for other people,” Hanset said.
