During the very early morning hours of Friday, January 27th, staff from Schemata Workshop will be joining volunteers from all over King County to conduct a point in time count of people experiencing homelessness and living without shelter. This street count effort is taking place in every census tract in the County and is combined with a shelter and youth count to form Count Us In (formerly One Night Count). The data from Count Us In not only increases community support and awareness of the scope and scale of homelessness but provides much needed data for organizations and government agencies working toward housing for all.
This is why we're counting:
It makes me sad to think that homelessness has become part of the landscape of our community. People walk/drive by without a thought as if it’s okay that there are community members who are living unsheltered. THIS IS NOT OKAY! I am counting because we need to SEE and acknowledge people experiencing homelessness and work/advocate harder for various ways to ensure that everyone has a safe home. It’s a human right. - Joann
Homelessness is such a big problem for our city that for a single individual wanting to help, it’s overwhelming to try and find a way to be a part of the solution. I have volunteered here and there at a few different encampments in the past, but Count Us In is a chance to contribute to a bigger effort. This data will help provide resources to tackle homelessness issues at a bigger scale, and that is why I am counting. - Margaret K.
I want to better understand homelessness and help in some way. - Erik
It is vital that we understand the scale of the homelessness crisis in our cities, counties, states, and country. This Count represents one step in the journey to ensure every person has a safe, affordable, and healthy place to live. - Sarah
I’m counting because it’s more important now than ever for me to use my relative privilege in the service of helping others who don’t have that luxury. - Margaret T.
I want to help, even if only in a small way. Being able to see one aspect of homelessness firsthand makes all the statistics that much more personal and gives even more meaning to the work we’re a part of at Schemata. - Brian
It's the responsibility of those of us with means and opportunity to give visibility to members of our community whose voices go unheard and whose needs have been ignored. - Abby
Learn more about getting involved here.