Hundreds of volunteers walked miles after dark on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27 to help count people experiencing homelessness across Sacramento County as part of the 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) count.
Participants used a mobile app called “Counting Us” to record the number of people they encountered who stated they would be sleeping outdoors or in vehicles. Volunteers also conducted brief surveys with individuals who chose to participate, gathering information about how long they have experienced homelessness and what services could best support them.
Organized by Sacramento Steps Forward with support from SimTech Solutions, the PIT count is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for communities that receive federal Continuum of Care funding. The data collected is used to allocate federal funding and inform programs and policies aimed at addressing homelessness.
“The Point-in-Time Count is one of the most important ways we listen to our neighbors who are experiencing life without stable housing,” said Lisa Bates, chief executive officer of Sacramento Steps Forward, which leads the count. “Volunteers play a vital role in ensuring we have accurate information to guide funding decisions, improve programs, and advance solutions that help people move indoors and into stability.”
The effort launched with a kickoff event at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center on Jan. 26, where City, County and State officials thanked participants and emphasized the importance of regional collaboration in addressing homelessness.
While volunteers focused primarily on people living unsheltered outdoors, the overall PIT count also includes individuals staying in shelters or respite facilities, such as the City’s X Street and Meadowview navigation centers.
Sacramento Steps Forward worked with local partners to identify areas where homelessness is most visible and to deploy trained volunteers and outreach teams, who received maps and lists of known encampments to guide their routes. The PIT count provides a snapshot of homelessness on a single night and is not designed to count every unsheltered person across Sacramento County’s nearly 1,000 square miles.
Counting teams included volunteers, nonprofit leaders, community organizations and professional outreach staff, including the City’s Department of Community Response, Community HealthWorks and First Step Communities. Teams also included elected officials from city and county government, including members of the Sacramento City Council and Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.
The last PIT count, conducted in 2024, identified 6,615 people experiencing homelessness across Sacramento County over a two-night period, with volunteers canvassing 200 census tracts countywide. Of those, 3,944 were living unsheltered, a decrease from the 6,664 unsheltered people identified in the 2022 count. The city of Sacramento accounted for 3,053 of the county’s unsheltered population.
“The Point-in-Time count is essential to the City’s efforts to plan services, target investments and evaluate what’s working,” said Brian Pedro, director of the City’s Department of Community Response. “The data helps ensure City resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact.”
Sacramento Steps Forward said it will take several months to compile and analyze the data collected over the two nights. A full report is expected to be released in late spring or early summer.
