Louisville Volunteers Count Homeless in National Initiative

Claire Galofaro, Courier-Journal
January 30, 2015

The annual homeless count is part of a nationwide initiative to gauge the number of Americans living on the streets. Thursday morning, around 40 degrees and raining, 230 volunteered to count – the most they’ve ever had. They found 10 more people than last year, when fewer volunteers searched in 10 degree weather.

The Louisville volunteers gathered at Hotel Louisville for an hour-long training Wednesday night, where Susanne Binford, Seven Counties Services, taught volunteers the basics: look in the hard-to-see places, where you might sleep if you were homeless; bring a flashlight; be respectful, because you’re in someone else’s space.

Tom Parmenter, Family Health Centers, and his team counted 73 people, a tiny fraction of the thousands of homeless people in Louisville, but a necessary census to secure federal funding for treatment and housing, said organizer Susanne Binford, with Seven Counties Services. The number will be added to those staying in shelters and a final tally will be sent to the federal government.

“I hear stories of loss day in and day out, and it amazes me how people manage. They’ve lost love, jobs, kids, homes,” said Parmenter, who’s worked in social outreach for 20 years. “I learn from them every day about life, and how to live it.” READ MORE