City of Bristol preparing for next week’s homeless population survey, volunteers and donations welcome

City officials in Bristol, Tennessee are asking for donations and volunteers to help with an upcoming survey of the homeless population.

Next week from noon on January 22nd-noon on January 23rd, Bristol will conduct its annual Point in Time count, a 24-hour counting of the homeless within the city, which will be administered by officials with the Appalachian Regional Coalition on Homelessness with assistance from the City’s Department of Development Services. Last year’s survey counted 405 homeless people across the region, including 101 in Bristol. Of the 101, 18 were without shelter, while the rest were either living in emergency shelters or transitional housing.

Those surveyed will receive gift bags with items donated by Food City and Healing Hands for participating, and information collected from the survey will be used to identify housing needs for the city’s homeless population.

“The purpose of the 2020 Point in Time Count is to provide a snapshot of our population experiencing homelessness,” said Christina Blevins, Community Development Specialist for the City. “The survey will help local government determine goals and measure progress towards decreasing chronic homelessness in Bristol.”

If you interested in volunteering with the survey or donating, more information is available here.