Augusta University
Nina Siso
College of Nursing BSN seniors in Dr. Carol Hunter’s Community Health class spent their last week volunteering with Augusta’s local homeless coalition, the Homeless Task Force. The task force, also known as the Continuum of Care, kicked off the annual Point-in-Time Count on January 22, 2024. Point-in-time is a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness, which is conducted on a single night in January. Augusta implements this count over the course of the last ten days in January.
According to the media key points provided from the Housing & Community Development Department, “Our partnerships with the Homeless Task Force’s Street Outreach team, various community volunteers, and local law enforcement makes the effort seamless in location identification and survey implantation.” During the events of the count, the senior BSNs and community volunteers canvased the community and conducted surveys of unhoused individuals to better understand the demographics and resource needs of the surrounding unsheltered community. Those who participated in the survey were provided Homeless Resource Kits which contained items such as washcloths, other toiletries, and socks.
Last week, our senior BSN students had the opportunity to participate in the overnight count: the largest effort of Point-in-Time. Volunteers split into canvassing groups, each assigned to a particular area of the county for surveying. From 9 PM – 6 AM the next morning, groups interacted with the unsheltered individuals in their areas to gain valuable survey data and provide the resource kits.
On Thursday, January 25th, students had the opportunity to assist with Point-in-Time at GAP Ministries. Each Thursday, Gap Ministries offers services for a variety of needs from 8:30 AM – 12 PM. These services include a food pantry, assistance with birth certificates, photo IDs, and prescriptions, as well as providing toiletries and household items. Our students had the opportunity to survey the individuals utilizing these resources.
The last event our students participated in was conducting Point-in-Time counts at Compass For Hope on Sunday, January 28th. Each Sunday, Compass For Hope sets up in the James Brown Arena parking lot to provide mobile showers, supplies, haircuts, and clothing to the unhoused community in Augusta. Senior BSN students interviewed a number of individuals and provided resource kits to those waiting in line for services.
Point-in-Time is a community event that our senior BSN students participate in annually, and we thank Dr. Hunter for her continued support and facilitation of this wonderful volunteer opportunity. If you would like to donate or volunteer, please refer to the websites below.
Stacey Hudson
