OFO to help count homeless
Jan. 10—In partnership with the NY-511 Continuum of Care/Southern Tier Homeless Coalition, Otsego County advocates will conduct a "Point in Time" count of sheltered and unsheltered people on Thursday, Jan. 26.
According to a media release from Opportunities for Otsego, the count "provides a snapshot on the state of homelessness in communities across the country by obtaining an estimate of homeless persons and an inventory of dedicated homeless beds."
OFO is again leading the local count of unsheltered homeless people. Last year, according to the release, 77 adults were identified as unhoused in Otsego County, which included veterans and victims of domestic violence.
"The annual Point in Time count is an important step to highlighting the need for resources for the most vulnerable in our community", said Will Rivera, OFO crisis intervention director and board president of the Southern Tier Homeless Coalition. "Working together as a community and coalition to capture this data is essential to addressing the housing crisis in our region."
Results from the annual homeless count and bed inventory guide Congress in allocating federal Housing and Urban Development funds to regional Continuums of Care so they may address homelessness, the release said.
"Opportunities for Otsego is hopeful its request for rapid rehousing funds under the most recent NY-511 Continuum of Care consolidated application to HUD is successful and provides nearly $700,000 to address the needs of unsheltered persons in rural Otsego County," the release said.
