What the Point in Time count looks like on Wenatchee streets

WENATCHEE — On a cold January morning, teams of outreach workers and volunteers moved methodically through downtown Wenatchee, stopping in places most people pass without a second glance.

They were participating in the annual Point-in-Time count, a federally required effort to document people experiencing homelessness on a single winter day. Some teams began their work on January 29 as early as 7 a.m., departing from the Salvation Army center on South Columbia Street before sunrise. Other teams followed later in the morning, each assigned a specific zone to cover.

Inside the Salvation Army center, surveyors gathered before heading out. There was coffee, water, fruit, and access to bathrooms, with showers that are scheduled for specific times of the day and days of the week. Teams reviewed assignments, collected supplies, and picked up backpacks to distribute to people who agreed to participate in the survey.

The backpacks, referred to frequently as mochilas during Spanish-language conversations, contained essential items such as hygiene supplies. Outreach workers carried Narcan as well, the opioid overdose reversal medication, with distribution carefully tracked as part of the day’s work.

A staff member also pointed out a handwritten sign posted inside the building announcing free haircuts. A 17-year-old named Eddie, a young Hispanic man, had set up clippers and would be offering haircuts throughout the day. The sign was visible only inside the building, drawing no attention from outside.

One of the later teams was assigned to Zone 1, covering downtown Wenatchee between Fifth Street and Ferry Street, Mission Street and the Columbia River. The team included surveyors Lizbeht Vazquez and Maria Leon, referred to throughout the morning as just Liz and Maria. Participation in the count was voluntary, and no one was required to answer questions.

The team’s first stop was the Wenatchee Quick Stop on Ferry Street, where they met Ricardo Cervantes.

Ricardo is 48, nearly 49, and was sitting outside with his German shepherd, Nadie. Nadie (nah-dee-ay) means “nobody” in Spanish. Ricardo smiled as he explained that when people approach him, he sometimes jokes, “No quieres problemas con Nadie.” You don’t want problems with nobody — except he’s talking about the dog.

As Maria conducted that survey equally in English and in Spanish, Ricardo switched back and forth, describing how he gets by. He works a few hours here and there, usually earning just enough to eat. He said he has been seeking steadier work through local placement agencies, but has not yet been contacted.

“I have gone three days without eating,” he said.

Across the street at the 76 station, the team encountered another man, Chris. He declined to participate in the survey, which is permitted under the rules of the count, but asked if sweatpants were available. He was already familiar with Liz through her outreach work. Maria, newer to her role, was not yet known to him.

From there, the team drove to Pennsylvania Park. There, they encountered a man who said he was passing through Wenatchee on his way to Seattle and did not wish to participate in the survey. The team thanked him and moved on.

Minutes later, at the Link Transit station, Liz recognized the same man again. He had continued on foot while the team drove, arriving just ahead of the bus he planned to take. The brief recognition highlighted how easily people move through public spaces unnoticed, and how familiarity develops for those who do outreach work regularly.

The team then drove to Triangle Park near Pioneer Middle School. The location appeared on the outreach assignment sheet despite being well west of Mission Street and outside the zone’s stated boundary. None of the team questioned the assignment, and no one was encountered there.

Triangle Park includes the Apple Bowl, the city pool, and a skate park. While it stood out geographically, it fit the broader pattern of the count. It is a public, highly visible space that remains part of the everyday fabric of Wenatchee.

Next, the team drove through alleys above Wenatchee Avenue, another area listed among outreach locations. They encountered a man with a dog there, but he declined to participate. The interaction was brief and respectful, and the team moved on.

Throughout the morning, Liz and Maria distributed backpacks to participants who completed the survey. They also provided Narcan to several people they contacted. None of those individuals appeared to need it at the time. The medication was accepted by people who indicated they knew others who might need it later.

Spanish was spoken frequently during these interactions, reflecting the language needs of many people encountered that morning.

The team’s final stop was Riverfront Park near Pybus Public Market. While there, they encountered Travis Hornby, the general manager and foundation director for Pybus and a member of the Wenatchee City Council. Hornby was walking his dogs and paused after noticing the camera hanging from a strap around the photographer’s neck.

When told the team was documenting the Point-in-Time count, Hornby warmly greeted them, placed his dogs into his vehicle, and departed. Only the photographer recognized him.

The moment created a quiet contrast. In the same public space, a city official overseeing one of Wenatchee’s most prominent community hubs crossed paths with a team tasked with finding people who are often overlooked.

Between stops, Liz and Maria spoke about the realities of outreach work. Some individuals are well known to outreach teams and have good days and difficult ones. Mental health, trust, and timing all influence whether someone is willing to engage. Outreach depends on relationships built over time, not on a single morning.

A little after noon, the team returned to the Salvation Army center.

Inside, Eddie was still working. By that point, he had completed four haircuts and was finishing his fifth. The clippers buzzed steadily as another client sat in the chair. The sign advertising free haircuts remained inside the building, visible only to those already there.

The Point-in-Time count is often misunderstood as a comprehensive measure of homelessness. It is not. It is a snapshot, taken on one winter day, shaped by who is visible, who is willing to engage, and who happens to be encountered during a limited window of time.

Final totals from this year’s count will be released later, after surveys are processed and verified. Those numbers will help inform funding and services. They will not tell every story.

What the morning did reveal was quieter and harder to quantify. For several hours, Wenatchee paused to look carefully at people who are often overlooked, and at the workers carrying out a difficult and necessary task, one respectful interaction at a time.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media