BISMARCK, ND ( KXNET ) — Members of the Missouri Valley Coalition for Homeless People, joined by other community volunteers, were out on the evening of Wednesday, July 10, to find and identify how many homeless people are living in the area.

Coalition President, Mark Heinert says their bi-annual “Point-in-Time” (PIT) count, is used to record the number of individuals and households currently experiencing some form of homelessness within their region, which includes Bismarck, Mandan, and the surrounding communities.

“From the perspective of why we want to do it, it’s that all people matter and that everyone really does deserve a place to call home, and there are people that don’t have a place to call home,” said Heinert.

The information they gather will later be compiled into a database, along with other demographic information collected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) community partners across the nation.

He says the count is important for local organizations that currently serve the homeless.

HUD requires Heinert’s organization to collect the data, so they can secure government funding that helps them to provide essential services for those in need.

Heinert explained, “We want to get out there and identify people, help them if we can, but also get that count so that we can really share that information. If our public can do something to help like make donations to nonprofits and help support people that are in need.”

The Institute for Community Alliances has shared on their website, a snapshot of the magnitude of homelessness experienced in North Dakota by referencing the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

It has been documented that 6,187 people in North Dakota have experienced homelessness within the last year (2023-24) — 1,335 of those individuals were living in Region 7, which includes Bismarck, Mandan, and the surrounding area.

Heinert adds that HUD requires his organization to also conduct a Point-in-Time Count annually during the month of January.

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