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YSU Center Helps Identify, Serve Local Homeless"
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- When Kristy Boyles started working in the Center for Human Services Development at Youngstown State University less than a year ago, she had no idea the extent of homelessness in Mahoning County. "It is a much bigger problem than I initially perceived," she said. "I was just astounded by the number of people without housing."As the coordinator of the center's Homeless Management Information System, Boyles is working to help lower those numbers. The center soon will launch a pilot project to more accurately track the homeless population in Mahoning County and to gather data on homeless service needs, usage and outcomes. The data will help agencies that serve the homeless to more effectively deliver services. Boyles, who received a bachelor's degree in psychology from YSU in 1998 and a master's in counseling from the University of Pennsylvania in 2000, said the project benefits the homeless and their families as well as homeless providers. "It provides the community an opportunity to strengthen planning, and it gives excellent accountability, demonstrating the effectiveness of efforts to end homelessness," she noted.There are 327 homeless people in Mahoning County, according to the latest count taken in spring 2004. But Boyles said she suspects the numbers are much higher. Communities calculate the number of individuals experiencing homelessness by conducting "point in time counts," which count the number of people on the street, in emergency shelters and in transitional housing programs on one particular day of the year.But that's not a complete picture, Boyles said, because many who experience homelessness temporarily are missed. "They simply underestimate the extent of the problem," she said. "Because the HMIS will capture data on all homeless persons, it will more accurately describe the scope of homelessness in county."Under the pilot project, the center will use new web-based software to create more accurate counts of homeless. Counts will be made over several months, not just one day a year, Boyles said.The five nonprofit agencies that will participate in the pilot are YWCA, Beatitude House, Youngstown City Health District, Greater Youngstown Point and Potential Development. "All of these agencies are doing an excellent job working with the populations they're intended to work with," Boyles said. "The software will allow us to collect critical aggregate data, close up gaps in services and eliminate duplication."After the initial three- to six-month pilot project, nine other agencies in Mahoning County that provide services to the homeless will join in the program, Boyles said. The Center for Human Services Development at YSU works with health, social and human service agencies in identifying problems, raising community concerns and serving as a catalyst for change within the human service system.Ricky S. George, the center's associate director, said the homeless project is a prime example of how the center can work with other agencies to help tackle issues facing the Mahoning Valley. "Through collaboration and communication, we can begin to make a difference in making the Mahoning Valley a better place," he said.Visit Youngstown State University: www.ysu.edu"