HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Jan. 29, 2025) – With the backdrop of wintry weather and a possible federal funding freeze comes the annual “Point in Time” nationwide homeless count.
Conducted under the auspices of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, this snapshot of what some communities are calling a public health state of emergency is held on various days during the final week of January. Agencies and ministries go out and try to find how many people are without a permanent residence in their area on a single night, which then determines funding and initiatives to address issues raised by the canvassing.
Jay Riemersma is the Executive Director of Gateway Mission in Holland.
The count locally also comes after the Holland Sentinel reported on the lack of affordable permanent and rental housing in Ottawa County, which some say contributes to the homeless situation. Riemersma doesn’t subscribe to that sentiment.
Providence, Rhode Island is among those communities where advocates are pushing for a declaration of a public health state of emergency over homelessness, but Rhode Island’s Democratic Governor Dan McKee said such a move would not solve this complex problem.
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