Common Ground's Fall Count

It’s that time again! Common Ground’s Street to Home Initiative (S2Hi) is coordinating its annual Fall Count!

During our annual Fall Count, groups of both outreach workers and volunteers comb the streets of west midtown for several hours late one night. They see who’s sleeping on the streets – a census of sorts. The counts are essential to Common Ground effectively housing street homeless adults quickly and appropriately. They’re eye-opening, moving, fun, and worthwhile.

We’ll meet at The Top of the Times (the penthouse at the top of the Times Square Hotel) at 10:30pm, where we’ll enjoy coffee and snacks. We’ll then give a mini-training, break into teams and travel to our assigned areas to count folks sleeping on the street! People should expect to be out til about 3am at the latest. Many teams finish as early as 1am.

All teams include one male and one experienced counter/outreach worker. As tough as us ladies can be, it’s a realistic safety precaution. With that said, the Count is a safe experience.

Mark your calendars and pass on the word!

This will be an especially interesting and helpful count – we just completed the Department of Homeless Services’ 90-Day Challenge to house 50 of West Midtown’s most entrenched homeless. Various agencies joined in an innovative collaboration to meet the challenge. The October 2nd count will give the first picture of the challenge’s effects on the neighborhood.