Correction: A previous version of this article misspelled the last name of Mark Murdock. It has been corrected. (Feb. 22, 2023)

DAYTON, Ohio — For more than a decade, the Dayton VA has been taking part in an outreach program that takes place in the middle of one night every winter: counting people experiencing homelessness who aren’t in a shelter.

It’s called the 'point in time count,' and it’s vital for getting federal grant money and other funding sources said Kathleen Shanahan, coordinator of the Housing and Homeless Solutions Program in Montgomery County.

What You Need To Know

  • The Dayton VA joins other homeless advocates helping to count unsheltered homeless

  • Volunteers also pass out bags with supplies, toiletries, socks and gloves

  • Counting homeless in shelters and those who aren't receiving help is vital for funding

​“The primary goal is to get a snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night as a way to understand how the need compares to our inventory of shelter, housing, and services,” Shanahan said.

Organizers also count everyone in a shelter during the designated night. Volunteers from the VA joined advocates for the homeless, walking through wooded areas in Montgomery County.

“A wooded area would be a good place for somebody to set up camp,” said Sage Weiss of Miami Valley Housing Opportunities. “We check all wooded areas like that just in case somebody is there.”

The outreach volunteers from the VA passed out bags with toiletries, socks, gloves and hats. VA Public Affairs Officer Rhonda Moore said they also spread the word about free services the VA offers veterans facing homelessness.  

“We make our connections with the veteran to really help them to understand some of the resources that are available to them so that they can find a home and really get the services that they need from the VA,” said Dayton VA Medical Center Director Mark Murdock.

He says taking care of homeless vets has been a mission of the VA from the very beginning in the 1860s.

“The real core mission was taking care of those veterans that had served in the Civil War and to making sure that they had a place to live, to be fed,” Murdock said. “So when you really get to the roots of what we are as an organization, the homeless mission really started it all.”

The outreach strengthened VA employees’ commitment to the cause.

“It was pretty humbling going out and when we came across a homeless veteran, it made me think and realize how important our mission is at the VA,” said Rebecca Beckman, who works in Patient Care Services.

The numbers for the homeless count will be released next month. In 2022, Moore says the Dayton VA helped to find new, permanent housing for 206 homeless veterans here in Ohio. 

This year, besides the Dayton VA, community organizations that took part in the PIT Count include the PATH outreach program, St. Vincent, Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley, Daybreak, South Community, Wright State University, Montgomery County, and the City of Dayton.