Hagåtña, Guam – In order to better understand Guam’s vulnerable populations, Lieutenant Governor Joshua Tenorio participated in the 2019 Guam Homeless Point-In-Time (PIT) Count today. Lieutenant Governor Tenorio joined Senator Clynt Ridgell and nearly 300 volunteers who were deployed islandwide before sunrise. Lieutenant Governor Tenorio and Senator Ridgell focused their efforts in Tumon this morning. The count continues through this evening.
“Being out there today to see the condition of our unsheltered population underscores the need to act. The Governor and I are committed to finding solutions so that every person and every child will have a safe shelter and a path out from poverty,” said Lieutenant Governor Tenorio.
Collected data is used by the Guam Homeless Coalition and the Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority to establish priority needs and goals to prevent and reduce homelessness. Information collected includes ethnicity, gender, reasons for becoming homeless, barriers to obtaining employment, and sources of income.
The Administration is working to open up shelters and increase resources for an effective humanitarian response. Governor Leon Guerrero is seeking assistance from the Department of the Interior and will be revisiting this issue again next week when she returns to Washington.
“I want to thank the Guam Homeless Coalition, our non-profits including Catholic Social Service and Salvation Army, our government sectors, and all those who are working in the frontlines to help our people. I will be working collaboratively with these groups and provide the leadership needed to make some real progress,” said Lieutenant Governor Tenorio.
Preliminary data from today’s PIT Count will be available in a few weeks.