Cheatham County Homeless Coalition

Ashland City, Tenn. (Dec. 10, 2024) – The Cheatham County Homeless Coalition will organize the county’s first Point-in-Time (PIT) Count on January 28, 2025. The PIT Count is an outdoor count that conducts a census with the following populations: People sleeping outdoors, in tents, in cars, in RVs, on campgrounds, in parking lots, in entryways, in dilapidated housing (lack of electricity, plumbing, or leaking roofs), in truck stops, and in other places not meant for human habitation.

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To perform an accurate count, PIT Count organizers are calling for volunteers to participate in the count, which will take place in the late afternoon/early evening of January 28. Teams of four to six volunteers will scan specific geographic areas in the county to look for people living outdoors.  

Cheatham County Homeless Coalition co-founders and residents Lisa Wysocky and Judith Tackett have participated in and helped organize PIT Counts in neighboring Davidson County for more than a decade.

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“Based on conversations with local first responders and businesses, Cheatham County has seen an increase in people staying outdoors, in cars, or abandoned buildings,” said Wysocky, who is the executive director of Colby’s Army, a nonprofit organization based in Ashland City that provides street outreach services in Western Davidson County and in Cheatham County. “Conducting regular counts of people living in places not meant for human habitation will increase our local awareness, allow our member organizations to target resources, and coordinate services.”

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Since this is the first PIT Count in Cheatham County, the organizers are calling for help from the community.

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“We need assistance with identifying potential locations where people experiencing homelessness have been sighted,” said Tackett, a regional consultant who works with nonprofit and government entities on poverty and homelessness reduction. “We are working with law enforcement and community leaders, including churches, to help us identify potential locations. But the more input we can get from community members, the better our information for the night of the count will be.”

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The Cheatham County Homeless Coalition has created an online “Location Tip” questionnaire where residents can describe locations where they have seen people experiencing homelessness.

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The Coalition is also calling for volunteers the night of the count.

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Who: Adults 18 years and older, who are able to walk on unpaved ground after dark

Time Commitment: 4-6 hours on the day/night of the count, plus a 2-hour volunteer training prior to the count

Fact Sheet: More information is available through our fact sheet.

Sign up as a volunteer by emailing CheathamHomelessCoalition@gmail.com.

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About the Cheatham County Homeless Coalition:

The Cheatham County Homeless Coalition brings together agencies serving people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Cheatham County. Our goal is to network, collaborate, and examine best practices for assisting people in need in Cheatham County. Our members offer food, clothing, workforce development, legal aid, health/mental health assistance, service information, shelter, etc.