Sacramento organizers are asking community members to volunteer in the 2024 Point-in-Time count (PIT) to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness in the Sacramento region.
The PIT count will be held 5 to 11 p.m. Jan. 24 and 25.
“The PIT is a huge community-wide effort that gives people a chance to make a meaningful contribution toward better understanding where we are and is a great way to contribute toward addressing and ultimately ending homelessness,” said Lisa Bates, chief executive officer of Sacramento Steps Forward, the agency that organizes the PIT count.
Volunteers are required to complete training sessions and will meet at several starting points throughout the county to pick up lists of known encampments and maps with routes to follow.
Volunteers will use a mobile app to record the number of people they encounter who said they would be sleeping outdoors or in vehicles. They also conduct a brief survey with those willing to participate in order to better understand who is experiencing homelessness in Sacramento, for how long and what kinds of services could best assist them.
The PIT count is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The data provided by the PIT count will be used to allocate funding and design programs to address homelessness.
Volunteers focus on people living unsheltered outdoors, but the overall PIT count includes those staying in respite centers or shelters.
Those interested in participating must register on Sacramento Steps Forward’s online portal.
To canvass, a volunteer must be at least 18 years old, be willing to travel by foot or car to predetermined locations, and be willing to use their personal smartphone and flashlight.
The last PIT count, conducted in 2022, found that an estimated 9,278 people are living without homes in Sacramento County.
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