Volunteer Sign-Up

2019 Homeless Point-in-Time Count

NOTE: We are grateful to the hundreds of volunteers that have signed up to volunteer for the 2019 Homeless PIT Count in Tampa/Hillsborough.  We are reached our volunteer capacity and volunteer registration has now closed. 

Please sign up for the THHI newsletter and check back on this page soon for additional ways to help our homeless neighbors in Hillsborough County!

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Street Count Volunteers and Deployment Site Assistants

On the day of the homeless count, Thursday, February 28, 2019, pre-registered trained volunteers will meet at their deployment site for their selected shifts.  Teams of 3-4 people will be formed with each team given a mapped area to canvass.  The map includes plotted locations – including encampments, parks, alleys, underpasses, meal, and service locations – where homeless people have been previously encountered.  Each team is then ‘deployed’ to canvass their assigned mapped area, using the plotted locations as starting points.  Team members will conduct the PIT Count Survey with homeless persons they meet during their canvassing.   Whenever possible, the volunteer team will include at least one person with experience working with homeless people and/or past count volunteer experience.

Recognizing that it is difficult to locate homeless unaccompanied youth during the traditional street count and following the best practices established in other communities, the Tampa/Hillsborough County CoC will have a deployment site and team dedicated to the Youth Count. If you would like to volunteer for the Youth Count, please select “Street Count” for your Volunteer Activity and select the “Youth Count (Downtown area)” Deployment Site for the shift you prefer when completing the on-line volunteer sign up form. 

In addition to volunteers to conduct the Street Count, volunteers are needed to be “deployment site assistants” who can assist with the clerical tasks such as volunteer check-in/sign-out.  Deployment Site Assistants will also be required to arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of the regular volunteer shift and remain for at least 30 minutes following the end of the shift.

If you are interested in being a deployment site assistant, when completing the Volunteer Sign Up form, select the deployment location and shift, then indicated in the “Comments” section that you are interested in being a deployment site assistant.  Please note that there will be a maximum of 2 assistants needed per location and shift.  Priority will be given to volunteers who are physically unable to participate in the street count.

*The “Deployment Location” indicates the area the Deployment Site is located and may not directly correlate to the areas/neighborhoods to which the volunteers from that location will be deployed to conduct the count.  Please see the ‘deployment location map’ for more information about the areas to be covered from each deployment location.  Volunteers may be asked to canvass in any part of the deployment area. For the Lunch Hot Spot shift and Youth Count, volunteers may be asked to travel to a known hot spot outside of the deployment area. (Here is the map)

**Unaccompanied Youth (UAY) are defined as persons 16 to 24 years old that are not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.  This includes persons within the above age range that may have children under the age of 18.

Volunteer Training – REQUIRED

ALL VOLUNTEERS MUST complete a training prior to volunteering on the day of the Homeless PIT Count.

First Time Homeless PIT Count Volunteers and those who have not previously volunteered for a homeless count in Hillsborough County are required to attend an in-person training.

Returning volunteers that have participated in the Homeless PIT Count in Tampa-Hillsborough County may choose to attend one of the in-person trainings OR complete the on-line refresher training.

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NOTE: We are grateful to the hundreds of volunteers that have signed up to volunteer for the 2019 Homeless PIT Count in Tampa/Hillsborough.  We are reached our volunteer capacity and volunteer registration has now closed. 

Please sign up for the THHI newsletter and check back on this page soon for additional ways to help our homeless neighbors in Hillsborough County!

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Additional Important Information about Volunteering:

• Volunteers under the age of 18 must be in high school and must be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian during the entire volunteer shift.

• Every effort will be made to accommodate volunteer’s preferences for deployment locations and shift, however each volunteer location and shift does have a maximum number of volunteers needed.  Once the limit has been reached, you may be asked to select a different deployment location and/or shift.
• Every effort will be made to allow people to volunteer together, however, because each volunteer team should consist of no more than 3-4 volunteers and whenever possible include at least one person with experience working with homeless people and/or past count volunteer experience, your group may be asked to split up to maximize the number of volunteer teams available to conduct the count. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.
• After completing the online Volunteer sign up form, you will receive a confirmation email within 5 business days that will include a link to the 2019 PIT Homeless Count Volunteer Training information.
• The PIT Count will take place RAIN or SHINE! Please check the weather forecast and prepare accordingly.
• Many volunteer teams will need to drive from the Deployment Location to the map areas, during on-line registration, you will be asked whether you are able to assist with transportation for your volunteer team.

Tell Others about this Volunteer Opportunity

You can help us spread the word about this volunteer opportunity by sharing Homeless PIT Count Flyer (Here is the flyer) with your colleagues, friends and family.

Additional Questions?

If you have questions about volunteering or helping support for the 2019 Homeless PIT Count, please contact us at Info@thhi.org or via the Contact Us (https://thhi.org/contact-us/) page.