“Invisible But Still Here” (Dec. 13) touches on an aspect of homelessness outside of the “literal homeless” definition from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Lane County’s Community Action Agency and Continuum of Care has responded to continually help quantify and convey the need for housing investment in our community.

On Jan. 31, for the first time, volunteers across Lane County will be conducting a Youth-Specific Point in Time Count. This means that anyone 24 and younger who completes the Point in Time Count survey will be counted if they are experiencing housing instability, such as couch surfing or doubling up. This is only possible if people volunteer to help canvass the county.

Lane County is committed to developing housing strategies to address the housing crisis. Be a part of the solution and volunteer to collect Point in Time Count surveys. PIT Count data is used locally to make data-driven decisions to address the housing crisis. It is also reported to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Congress.

Every congressional representative is not going to physically visit Lane County anytime soon, but they can see what homelessness looks like here through our data. Volunteer at lanecounty.org/homelesscount.

Alexandria K. Dreher

Lane County Department of Health & Human Services