The first step to solving any problem is recognizing its scope.

To that end, this year’s count of the local homeless population will help show the scale of this issue as part of a nationwide effort beginning in Jefferson County on Thursday, Jan. 26.

Known as the Point in Time count, the event attempts to put a number on the population of people living in tents, cars, trailers not connected to utilities, and other places not meant for permanent habitation.

“This really is a time to showcase the fact that there are people who are homeless. That’s a big thing that we’re trying to get across to the community,” said Allison Arthur, the senior housing manager for the Olympic Community Action Programs (OlyCAP) who manages the count in Jefferson County.

According to the 2022 survey, Jefferson County had 130 total homeless people, including at least 11 minors.

The number of people counted each year in Jefferson County has varied from a high of 355 individuals and families surveyed in 2015 to a low of 97 people counted as homeless in 2014.

OlyCAP is currently looking for volunteers to help with this year’s count and will be hosting a training session 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18.

“We’ve had different kinds of training. This year we plan on using Jefferson County Sheriff’s Navigator Stephen Echols,” Arthur said. “He is well aware of how to approach people who are potentially homeless and the ins-and-outs of that.”

The typical method for counting in the area is for volunteers to go with OlyCAP staff to the various food banks.

While urban centers like Seattle try to accomplish the count in one night, rural areas like Jefferson County are allowed longer.

“Because we’re a rural community we actually do the PIT count for an entire week,” Arthur said.

For example, since the count begins Jan. 26, volunteers will go to the Port Townsend Food Bank on Saturday, Jan. 28 and Wednesday, Feb. 1.

While so much emphasis is put on getting the numbers on paper, the reality is that each of those individual numbers represents a human being, many of which have deep roots to the area.

“It’s tragic that there are people out in this community who are from this community. That’s a big thing that people don’t believe that I think it would be helpful to remember,” Arthur said. “There are people who were born in this community who are homeless now.”

“It’s shocking the number of families that have connections, in many cases, to rather prominent people, frankly, in Jefferson County, but because of domestic violence, losing jobs, many other reasons, they become homeless or find themselves at risk,” she added.

Those interested in volunteering can email Arthur at aarthur@olycap.org with the subject line “PIT Count 2023” or call 360-385-2571, ext. 6349.