EVANSVILLE — A little after 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aurora‘s homeless outreach team loaded a van with snacks, hot coffee and drawstring bags filled with inclement weather gear.
They also handed out meals throughout the night as they ran the annual point-in-time count around the city. The event helps provide a look at the number and characteristics of people experiencing homelessness in Evansville, as mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Carrie Burress, outreach team lead, had already been to United Caring Services with the team, where they filled out PIT surveys with those who came in for the shelter’s white flag service. The Evansville Rescue mission hosted a white flag night, as well.
White flag nights are set based on cold-weather conditions, but holding one the day of the count makes it easier to complete the survey forms and have people in one location.
Men and women slowly trickled into UCS, where they received items from Aurora, filled out the survey with a volunteer or team member and got the chance to grab a hot coffee and a place in the room to sleep.