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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Jan. 19, 2023) – United Way of North Central Florida and partner agencies will conduct the 2023 Homeless Point-in-Time Count in Alachua County on Monday, Jan. 23.

The annual count will identify the number of sheltered and unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness throughout Alachua County with results available later this spring.

“The count gives us the ability to identify trends in homelessness within our community which we then use to set performance measures on our collaborative efforts with local service agencies through the homeless Continuum of Care,” said Patrick Dodds, Director of the Continuum of Care.

The 2022 Point-in-Time Count showed a 5 percent reduction in overall homelessness in Alachua County, but a 27 percent decrease in unsheltered homelessness since 2020.

To minimize exposure and transmission of COVID-19, outreach teams will be comprised solely of staff from United Way, partner agencies and community volunteers with lived experiences of homelessness. Other COVID-19 safety measures include the use of personal protective equipment and digital rather than physical surveys. Volunteers with lived experience will be paid $15 an hour for their time.

United Way of North Central Florida has served as the Lead Agency for the FL-508 homeless Continuum of Care (CoC) since 2018. The CoC catchment area includes the counties of Alachua, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Putnam.

The 2023 Point-in-Time Count in Alachua County will take place from a centralized staging location at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Gainesville. The count will begin at 6 a.m. and continue until approximately 8 p.m. Counts for the remaining counties will be conducted through Jan. 29, 2023.

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