Volunteers fanned out across Orange County in below-freezing temperatures recently to conduct the annual Point in Time count, a one-day survey of people experiencing homelessness.

The count, led by HONOR, a Middletown-based nonprofit, deployed three teams in Newburgh, two in Middletown and one in Port Jervis to locate both sheltered and unsheltered individuals.

“We go out during the day as well as afternoon, or for us evening in Newburgh,” said Michelle Herrera, the continuum of care coordinator for Orange County. “We have the surveys, we engage, and ultimately the goal is to get them into emergency shelter, get them out of the cold.”

The Point in Time count is a nationwide survey conducted each January to tally people experiencing homelessness in communities. Data is sent to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to inform policy and resource allocation.

HONOR coordinates with other nonprofits to count people in emergency shelters, then sends volunteer teams into communities to find unsheltered individuals.

Oliver Spearman, who works with the Westchester Community Opportunity Program, participated in his fourth Point in Time count. He also conducted surveys in Dutchess County and other areas.

Several volunteers came from HONOR’s Safe Options Support team, which conducts street outreach year-round to connect homeless individuals with resources.

“It’s a lot of street outreach, kind of finding people where they are, but also getting referrals from other agencies, going to warming stations at night and talking to people,” said Nathan Parker, an SOS team member. “Instead of going to, say, a shelter, we’re actively going out and trying to find folks who are completely unhoused.”

The Newburgh Free Library also participated in the count.

“We interact with the unhoused every day at the library. It’s a natural warming center,” said Kate Clarke, community engagement library assistant. “People can come and be there all day, they can get on the computer, they can sit and read a book, enjoy the view.”

Clarke said volunteers searched challenging locations during the count.
“We’re going into the woods, and we’re going into places where people are telling us that they are,” she said. “So we’ve been to some interesting places.”
Three Newburgh police officers accompanied volunteer teams. Community affairs officers Max Estevez and Josue Encarnacion, along with patrol officer Angela Helt, each joined a group. For Estevez and Encarnacion, it was their first year participating.

The 2025 Point in Time count identified 958 individuals experiencing homelessness in Orange County, including 72 completely unsheltered people living on the streets.

HONOR operates a 24/7 hotline at 845-343-7115 for Hudson Valley residents to report individuals who may be experiencing homelessness and need shelter placement or support services.