Carbon County’s annual “Unsheltered Homeless” Point-in-Time count will take place tonight.

The count is spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development each year through its local Continuums of Care in an effort to:

• Measure and monitor trends and changes in homelessness on local and national levels;

• Help communities (including states) understand what resources are needed and strategize the best ways to use them to end homelessness.

The Carbon County Action Committee for Human Services has been organizing the count and is teaming up with its various community partners in this year’s effort including: Family Promise of Carbon County, Carbon County Office on Aging’s Share Program, Peaceful Knights, St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Beaver Meadows, Lehighton Borough Council and Police Department, and Carbon Builders Association.

Representatives from these agencies and other volunteers will be combing local communities to identify those who are homeless the evening of the count to gather information about them and offer care packages including toiletries, gloves, hats, socks, snacks, as well as, other valuable tools and information regarding available services.

Warm sites will be open for homeless people to visit, share information about their circumstances, and receive similar care packages, tools and information on available services.

These sites include: the Carbon County Action Committee at 267 South 2nd Street, Lehighton, 6-8 p.m.; Family Promise of Carbon County at 140 W Mill Street, Nesquehoning, 5-7 p.m.; and Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church at 19 Second Street, Beaver Meadows, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Carbon County Action Committee for Human Services has also shared details concerning the count with local police departments, area service providers, local food pantries, and area school districts requesting assistance in surveying any homeless individuals/families that they had personal contact with either the evening of the count or the next morning that slept in a place not meant for human habitation.

Completed surveys should be returned by Feb. 5. After review, they will be submitted to the Eastern PA Continuum of Care for final review and reporting to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

CCACHS and its other community partners are encouraging anyone who is homeless or has any family members or friends who are experiencing homelessness to either visit one of the listed sites tonight or call the Action Committee at 610-377-6400 (ext. 223) to make other arrangements to be counted.

Schuylkill County will also be conducting point in time counts tonight.

At Hope & Coffee in Tamaqua, a free dinner will be held from 5-7 p.m. for Tamaqua and Coaldale area residents.

Volunteers and community organizations will prepare and serve the meal, and attendees who are housing insecure can find resources and information on available help.