City of Topeka holds annual count of homeless population

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - The City of Topeka held their annual Point in Time Homeless Count Wednesday, Jan. 25. According to their press release, the count ensures the city can obtain an appropriate level of funding to be able to provide needed services to those experiences homelessness and those at risk for homelessness.

Staff members and volunteers from the city worked to count those who are experiencing homelessness in Topeka. To receive funding for programs, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development requires communities to complete a count each year.

“We’re trying to get a snapshot of what homelessness looks like in Topeka,” Aimee Copp-Hasty, Development Director at Valeo Behavioral Health Care, said. “They give us one day to divide up into teams and divide the city into quadrants and to go out and give surveys to people who are living unsheltered, and that then will translate into federal dollars that will then help support and fund programs for these folks.”

The results will be released in around one month.

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