Homeless Winter Survival Kits: Your Support Can Bring Hope This Cold Season
Help provide essential supplies to those experiencing homelessness in our community. We are building 500 survival kits filled with food, water, and hygiene products to distribute directly to those in need. Every donation directly contributes to creating a kit that offers dignity and comfort.
What's in a Survival Kit:
Personal Message (Optional)
Those putting complete kits together can add a personal message of hope and support for one of more than 500 individuals estimated to be living outside on Long Island at any given time.
Drop-off or Mail to Location:
Attn: Winter Survival
600 Albany Avenue, Suite 5
Amityville NY 11701
Drop Offs at LICH: Mondays- Thursdays between 10:00am-3:00pm (drop box available at Suite 5 if needed)
How to Donate
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Financial Donation: Funds will be used to purchase bulk items for the kits.
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Item Donation: If you prefer to donate specific items, please refer to the list of contents
Contact Us About Winter Drives: coc@addressthehomeless.org or rquinteros@addressthehomeless.org
The purpose of the PIT Count is to have a snap shot of how many people are experiencing homelessness on Long Island at any given time and assess the needs of people living unsheltered or in emergency shelter. This report can be used to show general changes in total homeless numbers year over year, can identify trends within who is experiencing homelessness, why people are experiencing homelessness, and for how long. Demographic data allows for further local efforts to reduce any disparities within the homeless response system.
Local Trends in Homelessness
The PIT Count report is submitted to Congress to determine federal approaches and HUD funding allocations to better address homelessness within communities. PIT reports also inform local decision-makers and advocates on whether we are making progress in reducing overall homelessness, and homelessness amongst families, single adults, youth, people living unsheltered, people with disabilities, victims of domestic violence, and Veterans.
Families with children in shelter had been decreasing year over year but has drastically increased since COVID-19, most among mothers with children that identify as Black. Poverty/economic hardships, discrimination and domestic violence are some leading causes of family homelessness.
Single adult homelessness has continued to increase, mostly among aging adults that are males identifying as White, persons with disabilities, and single adults exiting jails and prisons without housing.
Youth experiencing homelessness on the street or in shelter is very low within LI, although youth that do experience homelessness are often highly vulnerable and often have been in foster care or are part of the LGBT community.
HUD Published Annual Homeless Report to Congress
View the national report here: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2024-AHAR-Part-1.pdf
How to interpret PIT count reports:
PIT count reports are representative of total persons homeless in Nassau County and Suffolk County. County-level data must be requested of the CoC or HMIS team.
Data is sorted into three household types- households with adults and children, households with only adults, and households with only children (unaccompanied minors).
Within each household type, data is broken down by demographics including age, race and ethnicity.
Sub-reports are available on the number of Veterans and Youth experiencing homelessness.
A special populations report represents the number of adults with disabilities and survivors of domestic violence that are experiencing homelessness.
The majority of households experiencing homelessness on LI are adults only households- mostly single adults, but including multi-adult households such as adult couples or families with adult children.
For help interpreting or reporting on PIT data please contact CoC@addressthehomeless.org.