We Knew We Could Count on YOU!

 

Wow. So THAT happened! That being the 2017 Homeless Count - the largest one in Texas history! We currently estimate that in Dallas County alone we had about 1,125 volunteers. (That means that about 86% of the 1,300 that registered showed up. My wedding planner friends tell me that 10-15% is, indeed, a typical no-show rate.) That does not include Collin County, or about 100 Dallas police officers, who escorted many of our teams.

There are so many people to thank. Thank you, first and foremost to each of our volunteers, and each of your organizations. We are overwhelmed by your generosity of spirit, and your giving of your time and energy. And a special thank you to our aforementioned brave men and women in blue!

Thank you to Rev. Linda Roby, her team and First United Methodist Church Dallas, and Rev. Heather Mustain, her team, and Wilshire Baptist Church for hosting the main Count sites, for investing significant time and resources in making us feel like family, and for being indispensable in pulling off such a smooth dual site operation.

Thank you to Angela Lang, Ashley Brundage and everyone else at United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, who helped us with recruitment, publicity and coverage of this event.

Check out these great media pieces about the Count:

WFAA - Ashley Brundage Interview
Volunteers Will Count Homeless

Dallas Morning News - Tasha Tsiaperas
Street by street, alley by alley, volunteers count Dallas' homeless

Dallas Morning News - Robert Wilonsky
Once a year, Dallas' homeless count reminds us this is bigger than any of us can fathom - or bear

You can watch Facebook Live videos from the Count too, courtesy of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas:

Getting Ready
Tonight's the Night
Someone Lives Here 

Now, please mark your calendars for next year's Homeless Count, on Thursday, January 25, 2018. #dallascounts2018.