San Juan County Health and Community Services will participate in the state’s annual Point in Time Count of Homeless Persons on Jan. 27.

Prior to that date it will contact and enlist the cooperation of local agencies and organizations that come in contact with homeless members of the community.

The annual count was mandated by a state law passed in 2005 which seeks to reduce homelessness in the state by 50 percent by the year 2015.

Last year the number of homeless individuals counted increased from 73 in 2009 before the recession really took hold, to 79 in 2010, an increase of eight percent; although organizers expect that increase will be larger this year due to the continued difficult local and national economic situation.

Last year’s survey found that a significant number of San Juan County’s homeless were families with young children and teenagers; more than a third were under 21 years of age.

The number of individuals identified as “unsheltered” more than tripled from nine in 2008 to 29 in 2010.

Unsheltered refers to men, women and children living in cars, tents, boats without live-aboard facilities, or temporarily housed in motels with short-term help from Churches or other organizations. The rest were being temporarily sheltered by friends or family members.

San Juan County has adopted a Ten Year Homelessness Prevention Plan to combat the problem, and in 2009 the County Council approved a Senior Rent Subsidy Program to help qualifying seniors who have an extremely low income.

In 2010 the County received grant funding for a tenant-based rental assistance program providing up to 24 months of rental subsidies for approximately 10 homeless families with children and individuals receiving case management from a partnering agency, including DVSAS, DSHS, or Compass Health.

These subsidies are expected to be continued in 2011, provided state and federal government funding is available; however resources are very limited so criteria for qualifying is rigorous. Resources for other homeless groups are likely limited.

PIT Count organizers say it is impossible to discover the exact number of members of the community who are homeless or staying with friends or family in unstable situations.

However, the annual count provides the best available information and can give community leaders and concerned citizens a sense of the dimension of the problem.

Organizations which will be asked to assist in the county include local schools, food banks, churches, healthcare providers, support service counselors, youth groups, Senior Centers, Family Resource Centers, Sheriff’s department, Fire and EMS departments and others.

Questions that will be asked of people identifying themselves as homeless include approximate age, gender, whether they have dependant children who are also homeless, whether they are a senior citizen, have a disability, an addiction, if they are chronically homeless or if they have a temporary living situation with friends.