For most people, Jan. 31 will be a day not terribly unlike most other mid-winter days in the north country. It will probably be cold and snowy with Feb. 1 bringing more of the same. But if you happen to be a homeless person, or someone who works in support of homeless persons, Jan. 31 has a very different meaning. Because that’s the day homeless persons are actually counted, statistics from which are used to provide funding to nonprofit providers and programs that homeless individuals or families can utilize in order to become self-sufficient and attain housing.

It’s an annual event coordinated by a local consortium called Continuum of Care, one of 400 agencies by the same name nationwide that oversee this point-in-time count.

“The count is a cooperation with area and law enforcement and human service agencies that work with homeless populations,” Amy Lerlie, executive director of Community Action Alger-Marquette, said for a Mining Journal story on the matter. “We reach out to the sheriff’s department, the Janzen House, Room at the Inn, Lutheran Social Services … basically any of the human services or entities that are able to identify homelessness.”

In addition, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development requires that counts be made on a specific day in January. Jan. 31 is the day counts will be held for Marquette, Alger and Schoolcraft counties.

If readers are interested in participating, organizers are looking for volunteers. We’d recommend that readers seriously consider getting involved.

A short training period is included. Call CAAM at 906-228-6522 or Sandy Heikkenen at 906-236-4999.