Area homeless count set

Area homeless count set
Sunday, December 14, 2008
By Kenneth W. Walter
tsnews@sjnewsco.com

As the temperature drops, the homeless of Salem County have very little resources to keep warm.

That is why gifts such as gloves, hats and socks are being used as incentives for the homeless to take part in a statewide count on Jan. 28.

There are at least 70 people without shelter and another 300 who are living in motel rooms and cars in Salem County, according to Ray Bolden, executive director of the Inter Agency Council, which is spearheading the count here.

The survey, known as the Point-in-Time Count, will be held at the First Presbyterian Church on Market Street in Salem and at The Lighthouse Cafe in Penns Grove.

Last year, two street teams were assembled to help try to count some of the homeless that couldn't make it out to the locations, but this year there is hope to add a third team.

Kathy Lockbaum, chair of the Salem County Board of Social Services, sees this as an opportunity to help a lot of people in need, especially because of the recent economic downturn.

"The number of people coming into the welfare department has risen tremendously in recent times," Lockbaum said. "We have had lines coming out the door. I've been here 18 years and this is like nothing I've ever seen before."

An accurate count of the homeless is extremely important because the count in large part determines the amount of federal and state funding that goes to the county.

Donations are largely the incentive for the homeless to come out and participate in the count.

The suggested donations include blankets, non-perishable foods, hygiene items, drinks, and winter clothes, such as hats, socks, and gloves.

Some may believe that a poor economy could force less donations, but Lockbaum doesn't see it that way.

"We are in the planning and advertising stages of all of this," Lockbaum said. "We don't start collecting from everyone until January, but we don't have any reason to believe there wouldn't be a good turnout of donations."

Groups like the IAC and the Board of Social Services enlist different groups and organizations to do the collecting....