Helping the Homeless in Stanislaus County

Point in Time Count

Photo courtesy of the Modesto Bee

Photo courtesy of the Modesto Bee

On Thursday, January 28, Telecare's Westside Stanislaus Homeless Outreach Program (SHOP) partnered with Stanislaus County Housing and Support Services Collaborative to conduct the county's annual Point in Time Count. 

See the full article on the Modesto Bee website.

The count is a part of a nationwide effort by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that requires the collected data for funding from the Supportive Housing Program. SHOP has participated in the homeless census for
10 years. 

Gathering information on the county’s homeless population and their specific needs helps Stanislaus Housing & Support Services Collaborative provide better resources for its residents. The survey includes questions regarding physical or mental illness, substance use, PTSD, domestic violence, how long the individual has been homeless, and the last place of residence.

Along with the count, consistent outreach helps maintain relationships, which is important when working with the homeless population. Telecare SHOP has three teams that work year round in partnership with each other as well as other agencies and service providers in the area to assist members with linkage to community resources. The Outreach and Engagement 1 team consists of two case managers who go out to those living in parks, rivers, and homeless shelters. Their Outreach and Engagement 3 team has a case manager and clinician that provide psycho-education and mental health services with the intent of reducing stigma in mental health and connecting people in the community to mental health resources. The third team, Latino Access, has a case manager and a clinician who specifically provide outreach and psycho-education on mental health to the county’s Latino population.