Human Needs Network to Conduct Homeless Survey

TYLER — The East Texas Human Needs Network (ETHNN) will conduct a homeless survey Thursday in what’s termed a continuing effort to address the homelessness issues facing community members in Smith County and throughout the state.”We will be carrying out this survey and count on the same day as other agencies all over Texas,” said Christina Fulsom, ETHNN founder.

Fulsom continued, “The survey will result in a comprehensive report on the number of homeless persons – sheltered and unsheltered – in our community; demographics, reasons for becoming and remaining homeless, educational attainment, employment status, health care needs, and other factors will be collected. We have to truly understand the scope of the problem in order to improve our ability to plan and implement effective housing and service programs. The same survey was conducted in January of 2014. 257 homeless individuals, 37 of them children, were identified in Smith County; there were many others we did not find that night.”

According to Fulsom, the homeless survey is being conducted in an effort to assist Smith County agencies in the continuing development of comprehensive, long-term solutions to addressing homelessness. In addition, says Fulsom, an established Continuum of Care plan provides the needed information to participate in the Balance of State Project of the Texas Homeless Network. The Balance of State Project allows local agencies to apply for funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Continuum of Care funds.