Division of Public Administration to assist with homeless count, survey

Morgantown, WV, January 10, 2006:  Volunteers are needed to conduct a count and survey of homeless individuals and service providers in the Greater Morgantown Area.

WVU’s Division of Public Administration is collaborating with The City of Morgantown’s Community Development Office, Caritas House, and the Mon Valley Homeless Initiative to conduct two surveys: one of homeless individuals and one of service providers for the homeless.

The count and survey of homeless individuals will be on Monday, January 22. Interested volunteers will be required to attend a training on Saturday, January 20, from 9 a.m. to noon in the Training Room at the Morgantown Municipal Airport’s ARFF Building. The training will include information about how to approach the homeless, a review of the survey, and guidelines about appropriate attire to wear during the survey.

The survey of service providers will begin on January 22 and will last until February 9. Service providers will be asked several questions about their capacity and current workload. They will also provide information about how many homeless people they serve at any point in time. Volunteers will contact service providers in person and by phone.

The homeless count and survey will assist in the completion of Continuum of Care reports and the five-year consolidated plan for the City’s Community Development Block Grant. It will also provide tremendous insight into the needs of the homeless. The information gathered will be used to determine which projects would most benefit the homeless.

Anyone interested in volunteering should contact the Caritas House, Inc. at (304) 598-5111.

The Division of Public Administration is housed in the School of Applied Social Sciences in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University.

For more information, please contact David Bott, Director, Community Development Office, at 304-284-7508.

W-V-U