AHEC, MSU Texas partner with community for Point-In-Time Count

Andy Newberry
12 February 2026

General Student Life Culture and Society Health and Wellness

Social Work students gained perspective helping the homeless

Andy Newberry
12 February 2026
2 min read

Midwestern State University Social Work students and Assistant Professor Catherine Earley recently participated in Point In Time, an effort to hand out 100 backpacks filled with life essentials to the homeless population in Wichita Falls.

The Area Health Education Center put together 100 backpacks filled with health and wellness items, hygiene items, food, and water. And the students also handed out blankets.

AHEC partnered with the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) and Wichita Falls area Continuum of Care to complete the Annual Point-In-Time Count (the HUD annual count of unhoused individuals in our communities on the fourth Thursday in January.

It was a learning experience for Social Work students Angel Adams-Case, Sarah Lehman, Alex Montoya, Veronica Flynn, Jenna Veitenheimer, and Mariah Wallace.

“It felt awesome doing it and connecting with other members of the community, because the homeless are part of the community,” said Angel Adams-Case, a Social Work major at MSU Texas. “I felt like it was a great opportunity for people (volunteering) to humble themselves and learned to be grateful for what they have.”

Earley, who is also the Academic Department Chair, was excited to see her students grow from the experience.

“I think the biggest change I see as a result is stigma reduction,” Earley said. “Society tells us people should be fearful. By the end of the night, I will see the same student who was fearful at first, just having these robust, joyful conversations with our neighbors experiencing homelessness. It’s one of the most special transformations that I get to see in just a few hours.”

It was even more timely this year to get

these supplies to the homeless just before the major winter storm hit the area.

“A lot of them didn’t have anything to keep warm,” Veronica Flynn, a Social Work major, said. “One couple had a bunch of baby puppies and no way to keep them warm, but we were able to get them blankets.

“It was really impactful because all you hear is to avoid the homeless because they’re drug addicts. It was nice to see that they’re just people who have fallen on hard times. It was a chance to actually apply what we’ve learned in classes.”

In addition to the necessary supplies, it was a human connection her students can make that thrills Earley.

“A lot of times people are fearful about talking to this population, but we go out, and we have these brief interviews and fill out the questionnaires,” she said. “In that, there are a lot of other conversations, and the students get a lot of glimpses of who these folks are. They learn a lot about the full lives that these individuals have led.”