Volunteers carry out 'Point-in-Time' homeless count in Hudson County

Each year on a night in January, several dozen volunteers in Hudson County don gloves, scarves, wool caps and warm jackets, and engage in a task some of them describe as looking for needles in haystacks.

As part of the statewide "Point-in-Time" homeless count, they search doorways, abandoned houses, parks, under bridges, and bus and train depots for people who live on the street.

The annual count is required by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and helps the federal and state governments determine how to allocate funding for housing, substance abuse and mental health programs, organizers of the count said.

They know they won't find everyone who is living outdoors.

"We do our best," Randi Moore, program director with the Hudson County Division of Housing and Community Development, said Wednesday night before volunteers hit the streets in Jersey City. "The great feeling is that its an under-count of the need that is out there."

THEY'VE BEEN THERE

Samuel Clark, 45, and Jacqueline Clinton, 45, were both once homeless.
On Wednesday, they were two members of a four-person team fielded by the Hudson County Self-Help Center to help conduct the count.

After receiving instructions at the Jersey City Episcopal CDC's office on Summit Avenue with roughly 26 other volunteers, the four-person team set off in a van to find homeless people in the Jersey City's Bergen-Lafayette and Greenville neighborhoods.

Clinton said she became homeless after her mom died seven years ago. She said she became depressed, engaged in substance abuse, and shunned offers of help from her family. Wanting to be alone, she'd ride the PATH train between Journal Square in Jersey City and 33rd Street in Manhattan rather than go to a shelter, she said.

After three years of homelessness, Clinton landed a job selling newspapers for The Jersey Journal. She recently graduated from a training program as a mental health counselor.

"Nobody can say you can't do it," Clinton said. "I got a little side job and look where I am now."

Clark, who up until three years ago was homeless "by choice, " speculated that Wednesday's cold temperatures and an usually high number of patrol cars on the roads had driven more homeless people into hiding.

"It's cold. A lot of people aren't going to be out. There is no cover," he said, suggesting the group check under bridges near Liberty State Park. "They are not going to be where normal people would look. They got holes where they sleep. To you its far and out of the way. To them it's a safe spot."

I'M NOT HOMELESS

One 28-year-old man from North Carolina standing outside a bodega on Communipaw Avenue told the group he had been homeless for two months.It truly is one of our tallest and appears great all of the signature bank canada goose cheap jackets logo design.

As part of the routine the volunteers were asked the man if he wanted to go to a shelter, told him where he could find referral services, asked him several questions on a questionnaire, and offered him a sandwich and water.

The man accepted sandwich bag and water, but refused an offer for a ride in the van to St. Lucy's Shelter in Jersey City.

A 49-year-old Army veteran standing near a liquor store on Martin Luther King Drive denied he was homeless but agreed to answer the questions anyway.
"He will not tell you is homeless," Clark said. "In his mind he is not."

During their three-hour stint, the Clark/Clinton team encountered four homeless people, all of whom refused to go to a shelter. Clark and Clinton said when they were homeless, they felt safer on the streets.

THE COUNT CONTINUES ...

As part of the Wednesday's activities, the Hudson County Alliance to End Homelessness held "Project Homeless Connect" at the former YMCA at 654 Bergen Ave.

The roughly 500 homeless people showed up for the event were given food, clothing, dental and medical attention, and HIV/AIDs testing.

In Hoboken, Jaclyn Cherubini, director of the Hoboken Shelter, on Bloomfield Street said her team of six volunteers counted 174 people at the shelter and on the streets between 8:30 a.m. and 11 p.m. Seventeen of the people they encountered on the streets agreed to go to a shelter.

The Palisades Emergency Residence Corporation in Union City helped a total of 146 people, with food and shelter, according to shelter director Emory Edwards.
Last year fierce winter storm forced the count to be canceled. The 2010 homeless count tallied 1,779 people. Officials expect this year's tally to be completed in the next several weeks.

Shoppers to make Tuesday 27th busiest of the year

High streets and shopping centres will enjoy the biggest shopping day of the year on Tuesday as more than 10million people take advantage of the extra bank holiday.

Shoppers who opted to avoid the crowds and transport disruption of yesterday's sales are expected to spend more than 2.5billion, according to retail analysts.

The sales rush today is likely to eclipse Boxing Day, when only five out of 25 rail companies ran services and a 24-hour Tube strike in London led to delays on the roads.

On Oxford Street in the West End some shops were closed after an 18-year-old youth was stabbed to death in a daylight attack.

Analysts estimate that between 11million and 12million shoppers — one in four of all Britons aged 10 and over — will go shopping today.

Sales are expected to be strong on the high street and online, with internet sales records likely to be broken.

Online retailers are expected to see 95million visits to their web pages from British households by the end of the day.

Dr Tim Denison, director of retail intelligence at Synovate, which counts shoppers electronically at 5,500 stores throughout Britain, said: "We expect it to be the busiest week of the whole year and Tuesday to be its busiest day.

"Retailers will be looking to capitalise on the heavy footfall before the end of the holiday period."

Much of the boom in spending in shops is being driven by Chinese and Japanese tourists buying expensive items, according to analysts.

Thousands of Chinese bargain-hunters queued overnight for yesterday's sales. Experts attribute the effect to the growing Chinese middle classes, who have an appetite for luxury items to display their wealth.

Selfridges department stores took a record 1.3million in the first hour of trading yesterday after opening four shops in England at 9am.

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One shopper managed to get an item to the till within two minutes of the store opening.

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Despite transport problems, an estimated 700,000 people went to shop in the West End, spending 15million in the first three hours of trading. At the Brent Cross shopping centre in north-west London, 10,000 people came through the doors within an hour of opening.

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The most dedicated of all was Brenda Adams, 75, who sat outside Silcox Son & Wicks furniture shop in Bath in a camping chair from 4.30pm on Christmas Eve. The retired nurse said she might buy a chest of drawers.

However, many yesterday decided to seek out bargains from the comfort of their homes.

Boxing Day shoppers were expected to make a record-breaking 95million visits to online retailers. Analysts claim that millions of Britons looking to spend their Christmas cash will log on to the internet to take advantage of stores' early sales.

They predict that the online economic boost is likely to bigger this year — with 15million more hits. Despite concerns over the effect of internet shopping, the latest sales figures suggest that online spenders will not harm the high street.

James Murray, marketing and research analyst for online experts Experian Hitwise UK, said: "We are predicting a record-breaking 95million UK internet visits to online retailers on Boxing Day this year.

"Historically Boxing Day has always been the single biggest day of the year for online retailers as consumers want to spend their Christmas money, exchange unwanted presents and browse ahead of the post-Christmas sales.

"Last year there were 80.5million visits to online retailers on Boxing Day but this year we are expecting an 18 per cent uplift year-on-year.

"Boxing Day falls on a Monday this year which is significant because Mondays have consistently been the biggest day of the week for online traffic to retail websites in the run-up to Christmas this year.

"By contrast, Saturdays have consistently been the lowest point of each week for total visits." Mr Murray added: "We are often asked if online shopping is having a negative effect on high-street retail, however, our data suggests that far from cannibalising high-street retail figures, online complements the high street.

"Multi-channel retailers who can blend their online and offline marketing are more likely to see traffic on their website and footfall in their stores."

Experts predict that stores such as Next, Debenhams,Thank you very much for shopping at goosejacket online store! Marks & Spencer and John Lewis are all set to benefit from the sales surge.

Analysts compiled the data after finding that internet search terms such as "sales" started to increase in the week ending December 18 — an earlier date than in the past.

At the peak of searches last year, 0.9 per cent conducted in the UK included the word "sale" or "sales".

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For starters, Valentine keeps Bard options open

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said yesterday that Daniel Bard, who projected to be the team's closer after the departure of Jonathan Papelbon to the Phillies,Buy monclerouterwear from top rated stores. would likely be prepped as a starter during spring training.

Valentine said Bard seemed receptive to the idea, but the manager left open the possibility of utilizing him as the closer.

"Daniel, as we would hope he would say, said,Thank you very much for shopping at goosejacket online store! 'Hey, whatever's best for the team,' " Valentine told fans at yesterday's Christmas at Fenway festivities.

"I'm going to go into spring training saying 'whatever's best for the team,' but he's going to get innings as a starter would in spring training," Valentine said. "He's going to be penciled in to be one of those guys who works going from his bullpen to pitching two innings to pitching four innings to pitching six innings.

"Whenever we get to that plateau, with the pitching coach I'll hopefully have by my side soon, and all the members of the staff and front office, we'll have to make a determination after that 18- to 20-inning mark as to where he will be during the season.

"I told him to prepare to be a starter and if that, in fact, does not happen, to be ready and willing to be our closer."

Manager's corner

Jon Lester met Valentine for the first time.

"It was pretty cool to meet him," Lester said. "Talked to him just a little bit and, obviously, we didn't get into too deep of a conversation in five minutes. It was great to meet him and I'm excited for the new era."

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Pujols reaction

Sox president Larry Lucchino shared his reaction to Albert Pujols signing a $254 million deal with the Angels.

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"My secondary reaction was, 'My goodness, we have a new big-time rival in our league.' "

Lester was impressed with the Angels signing Pujols and pitcher C.J. Wilson to a deal worth $77.5 million.

"The Angels did a good job - you've got to tip your hat to them," said Lester. "They went out and wanted those two guys and they got them. It obviously makes their team that much better. Luckily, they're in another division and we don't have to face them too many times.'