ntspp.org

POSTSCRIPT:  This well-organized and meaningful Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance event took place on a rainy cold evening.  With good training and professional and personable police officers paving the way for speaking with any homeless persons who were interested in contributing to the survey, this experience is highly recommended.  Please consider it for yourselves next year.  Welcoming and educating this rookie were veterans Joel Feiner MD (psychiatrist advocate and community mental health guru/ leader),  Janie Metzinger (MHA); Mike Katz (NTBHA Consumer/Family Council);Valencia Hooper, John Dornheim, and Sherry Cusumano (NAMI Dallas and Collin County); Sr Cpl Herb Cotner of DPD.   Officers Isaac and Celeste of Northeast and LPC David Mora (presently a City of Dallas caseworker) were wonderfully easy and respectful and humane as we visited with those homeless persons who felt comfortable speaking with us.  My sense:  we all realized we are much more alike than different and but for the grace of…Fortunately riding through my own neighborhood, I learned the haunts and strategies and extreme distress of the unsheltered who were NOT in the Bridge and what they believed would help.    NCmd

2010 Homeless Count and Census:  volunteers needed, on-site training.
ALTERNATIVE TO NTSPP DINNER WHICH HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Highly recommended by Carolyn Rekedres MD who has participated…

It is once again time to conduct the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance (MDHA) annual homeless count and census. The census is conducted each year in the last week of January so that Dallas and Collin Counties can collect information on homeless residents.

With MDHA’s renewed commitment to end Chronic Homelessness by 2014 and the opening of the Bridge Homeless Assistance Center in May of 2008, the Homeless Count and Census allows us to monitor our progress in achieving this goal. The Census helps us to complete a needs assessment for the community and encourage the development of programs to fill identified gaps. The information compiled during the census is also used by several interested groups, including non-profit organizations, faith-based groups, media outlets and various departments in Federal, State and local government.

DATE: Thursday, January 28, 2010
TIME: 6:00 P.M. – 12:00 A.M.  (subject to slight changes if needed, most volunteers are able to leave by 10:30 p.m.)
LOCATION: Dallas City Hall – 1500 Marilla, L1 F North Auditorium  Park in City Hall underground parking (entrance traveling east on Young Street)  Enter through the GREEN door

HOW TO HELP: Volunteers are needed for both the indoor and outdoor census. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age.  Remember to wear comfortable shoes, bring a flashlight, writing pen and clipboard.

Indoor Volunteer Team Member: Conducts the Homeless survey in an indoor location, such as an Emergency Shelter or Transitional Housing facility. Law enforcement professionals are not assigned to these teams, but a staff contact will be provided for teams who visit these locations and agency staff will be present.

Outdoor Volunteer Team Member: Conducts the survey outdoors in teams of two or three. Law enforcement personnel are assigned to each team for safety reasons.

Training:   Training on how to conduct the census will be provided for volunteers on the night of the census. Volunteers will sign-in from 6:00 – 6:30, and should arrive no later than 6:15 P.M. in order to receive all of the information presented.

Contact Information:  Thank you for your interest! In order to volunteer for the Homeless census or to receive more Information, please contact Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance:

Phone: 214-670.1112

E-mail: PMaroney@MDHADallas.org