Room at the Inn is a participant in the point-in-time count, a local and nationwide effort of attaining a number of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons on a single night in January. The count helps establish the amount of state and federal funding an area will receive for their efforts to end homelessness. Pictured here is the Room at the Inn Warming Center. (Journal file photo)

MARQUETTE — Over 40 agencies and law enforcement departments in Marquette and Alger counties will conduct the annual point-in-time count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless people Wednesday.

From midnight to 11:59 p.m., more than 400 Continuum of Care planning bodies, which cover 3,000 cities and counties across the nation, and tens of thousands of volunteers will count the number of homeless people in shelters and throughout communities.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, requires that a yearly count of homeless people who are in emergency shelters, transitional housing and safe havens be conducted on a single night in January.

Michelle LaJoie, executive director of Community Action Alger-Marquette, said the goal of the point-in-time count is to determine an accurate number of homeless people in different regions so that funding and support can be secured for the area’s agencies.

“The state looks at how many people are indicating they’re homeless — that’s how our area’s allocation is determined,” LaJoie said.

Since there are no formal homeless shelters in the area — aside from Marquette’s Room at the Inn — defining the extent of rural homelessness presents a challenge, a press release issued by CAAM states.

“Couch surfing” is the most common form of homelessness in the area.

“In those cases, the homeless person or family may not necessarily be connected with an agency. Those are the cases where more help is needed,” the release states.

If someone is aware that a person or family is in need, they can call CAAM to make sure they’re included in the count.

While the funding does not affect Room at the Inn directly, as the organization receives no government funding, it does impact the number of housing vouchers provided in the service area, which are an important resource that help many of Room at the Inn’s guests move into an apartment.

A training session for the point-in-time count took place earlier this week at Room at the Inn’s Warming Center in Marquette, located at 447 W. Washington St. Warming Center Manager Mary Jane Lynch said anyone who missed the training but still wishes to help with the count can show up to the Warming Center Wednesday at any time.

Anyone who is homeless is also encouraged to attend a lunch on Wednesday at the Warming Center, or leave a message for Lynch at 906-225-1521.