The Lex End Homelessness Continuum of Care (CoC) seeks teams of volunteers to visit dozens of outdoor locations where persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness might sleep overnight.
Volunteers will conduct a count of the number of individuals and households identified to be without shelter, complete surveys with those identified, facilitate access to emergency shelter, and distribute care packages. The LexCount takes place from 10 – 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 31, 2024.
Teams will consist of no more than four persons to help reduce potential spread of flu or COVID-19. Additionally, in order to reduce risk of community spread, the CoC/Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention will not be assigning individuals to teams.
Instead, volunteers will identify their own team members and captain prior to registering. Each team is responsible for providing their own transportation; please be certain that at least one driver is identified on your team and that a vehicle is available for your use on the evening of the count. Those volunteering to drive must be confident in their ability to do so on the evening of the count; driver assignments are very important to the successful operation of the count. Only the team captain should submit a registration and simply list the additional members.
To the greatest extent possible, the Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention will connect each community volunteer team with a team of experienced providers. Your team can request to be joined by a Lexington Police Department officer in the field. The Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention will try to facilitate these requests, based on the availability of officers. There is no guarantee the team will have a police officer assigned. Officers will not ride in vehicles with teams.
Information pertaining to training, check-in, and check-out procedures will be sent to team captains upon completion of registration. Volunteers should anticipate completing a 35-minute on-demand training webinar via Zoom. Training is mandatory and must be completed in advance of the Jan. 31 LexCount.
