UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — An upcoming Penn State Extension land-use webinar is aimed at equipping planners with the knowledge and tools needed to improve rural communities’ responses to homelessness.

In 2023, homelessness in the United States increased by 12%. Eighteen percent of those surveyed during the yearly homeless census were in rural areas, where homelessness presents unique challenges compared to urban settings.

Presenting the 75-minute webinar at noon July 17 will be Elisa Worland, a licensed social worker and community development/health and human sciences educator with Purdue Extension in Wayne County, Indiana.

The webinar will focus on bridging the information gap, enhancing data collection efforts, and promoting a more inclusive approach to addressing homelessness in rural communities. Participants can learn how to drive positive change while ensuring that rural communities are aware of resources and actively engaged in the Continuum of Care. A mechanism of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Continuum of Care distributes funding to agencies and businesses providing housing and homelessness services, improving service delivery to those in need.

By raising awareness of the need for improved homeless services, the session is designed to encourage local support for interventions. Communities have formed small teams for the Point-in-Time Count, HUD’s annual census of individuals experiencing homelessness. This has led to strategic plans to reduce homelessness in rural areas, with local partners exploring new ways to address the issue and demonstrating a willingness to consider new interventions.

“Improving Rural Communities Response to Homelessness” is the first webinar in Penn State Extension’s Summer/Fall 2024 Land-Use Webinar Series that runs monthly until Nov. 20. The series is aimed at informing municipal elected and appointed officials, planners, landowners, farmers, and community organizations about land-use issues and decisions in their communities.

All webinars will be recorded and available for future viewing. Other programs in the series will include:

• Aug. 20: “Finding the Right Audience.”

• Sept. 18: “Blight Mitigation: Building Capacity Through Intergovernmental Partnerships.”

• Oct. 16: “County Planning Districts: An Innovative Approach to Municipal and County Collaboration in Community Planning.”

• Nov. 20: “Local Community Implementation of Active Transportation Plans.”

The cost of the webinar series is $50 for all five sessions, or $95 for all five sessions for those who want to receive AICP certification-maintenance credits from the American Planning Association. The cost also is $95 for all five sessions for professional engineers needing PDH credits. In addition, registered landscape architects can receive continuing-education credits for a fee of $65.

For anyone interested in a particular topic from the series, individual session registration is available for a fee of $15 per session. Those needing assistance can access a scholarship option.

For more information, contact Peter Wulfhorst at 570-296-3400 or by email at ptw3@psu.edu. To register for the webinars, visit the Penn State Extension website.