Matt Lawrence was on a mission Thursday morning.

He wore a neon orange sweatshirt and a light gray beanie with YWCA written on it. He packed his Chevy truck with bags containing hand warmers, socks, soap and other toiletries.

A thermal bag filled with burritos was also in his truck. Before he left the Verdant Community Wellness Center in Lynnwood that morning, he grabbed a handful of resource sheets and flyers – one of them outlined where the daytime warming centers are in Snohomish County.

“We want to make sure they understand that there are resources out there,” Lawrence said. 

Lawrence was one of the many people who participated in Snohomish County’s annual point-in-time (PIT) count.

The PIT count is “an unduplicated count on a single night of the people in a community who are experiencing homelessness,” according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. 

The count determines how funding and other types of assistance are directed to the area. It measures trends over the years, and it helps identify any gaps that may exist in homelessness service programs. 

For the count, the county divided itself into quadrants: North County (Arlington, Marysville, Stanwood, Granite Falls and Darrington), East County (Sultan, Monroe, Snohomish and Lake Stevens), Central (Everett and Mukilteo) and South County (Lynnwood, Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace).

The YWCA led South County. Community volunteers and YWCA staff signed up for a morning, afternoon or evening shift. From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, they drove around the area in groups. 

Community volunteers and YWCA staff conducted surveys using their phones. One of the survey questions asked where the participant stayed the night before. Another question asked when they first experienced homelessness.

This year was Lawrence’s second time participating in the county’s annual PIT count. The same goes for his partner that day, Ali Hawach. Both Lawrence and Hawach are resource navigators at YWCA.

Lawrence said the count is important because it brings awareness and an understanding of which populations are more vulnerable to experiencing homelessness. 

“If we’re not here advocating for them, who’s going to?” Lawrence said.

YWCA’s Pathways for Women is the only emergency shelter in South Snohomish County. Hawach said the count should also correlate with the number of shelters, resource centers and other infrastructures in an area – not just the amount of funding the area should get. 

“There’s just not enough housing programs,” Hawach said. 

The count will continue from now through Jan. 29. During that time, volunteers will attend social events and outreach locations that serve people experiencing homelessness. Those interested in helping can contact Snoco-PITCount@snoco.org or 425-388-3922.

Data and information collected will go into a secure database. They will be compiled, without any identifying information, and reported to the Department of Commerce or the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In January 2024, the count identified 1,161 people who are living in a shelter, transitional housing or are unsheltered. This was down 9.6%, or 124 people, compared to 2023.

– By Angelica Relente

Angelica Relente is a Murrow News Fellow covering housing and related issues in South Snohomish County for the My Neighborhood News Network. Contact her at angelica@myedmondsnews.com.