By Posey Graber
This past May revealed the official count of unhoused people in America. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that 745,652 individuals were homeless and 266,320 individuals were living unsheltered. These numbers come from a nationwide Point-in-Time (PIT) count. While these counts are extremely insightful and give our government a good idea of where the amount of unhoused people stands, it has its limits. The PIT count only happens once a year on a single January night. Homelessness is difficult to measure accurately because it can be temporary or hidden and it is constantly changing. Statistics on homelessness influence government funding and policy so making sure the PIT counts are as accurate as possible is vital.
Every year, communities across the entire country take part in a PIT count. It is a major event that will serve as the official data on homelessness for the entire year. The PIT count takes place during the last week of January each year. The time is specifically chosen to take place during one of the coldest times of the winter because it is often easier to locate unhoused people. Homeless shelters are typically most full during the winter and at nighttime as people are preparing to spend the night, this makes it much easier to count the approximate number of unhoused people in a town or city. However, just because a large number of people will likely be in shelters when the PIT count takes place, that does not mean that unhoused people still are not outside or in other areas.
In attempts to get a complete survey of the amount of people experiencing homelessness in an area, outreach workers and volunteers will physically canvas the streets that same January night. It is a meticulously coordinated event where people will walk along assigned routes to visually count the number of people who appear to be living in places that are not meant for human habitation. During this time the workers will also ask individuals a set of standardized questions to acquire more information demographics and the history of homelessness.
Every part of the count is curated to make it as successful as possible, but there are always aspects that cannot be controlled. Even if everything is done according to plan in the perfect conditions, unhoused people will go uncounted nonetheless. People might move throughout the night leading them to possibly miss the counters, others may be staying in their car or with friends. Rural areas are especially difficult to survey because of the large geographic area. Perhaps the main reason why it is so difficult to have a perfectly accurate PIT count for the year is because it only takes place over one night. Homelessness is constantly changing, everyday the numbers go up and down.
Despite the limits that come along with the PIT count, it is still an incredibly valuable tool that provides the best snapshot of homelessness in the country. The data that is found from the count helps give us a better understanding of how homelessness is changing throughout the years. We know that the amount of unhoused people has decreased by 3% from 2024 to 2025, however, from the past 10 years (2015-2025) homelessness has increased by 32%. The steady incline of people becoming unhoused over time is a reminder to focus on the issues that are driving the homelessness crisis. Housing costs and low income is one of the main matters that leads to more and more individuals becoming unhoused. Through continual PIT counts, the homelessness crisis and the tactics being used to fight against it can be comprehended more clearly, hopefully leading to its decline.
References:
Homelessness & Housing Alliance. (2025). Unsheltered Point-in-Time (PIT) count: Volunteer training [Training slides]. https://hhalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/PIT-Count-Volunteer-Training-Toolkit-Sample-Slide-Deck-Copy-1.pdf
National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2012, September 7). What is a Point-in-Time count?https://endhomelessness.org/resources/policy-information/what-is-a-point-in-time-count/
National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2025). State of homelessness: 2025 edition. https://endhomelessness.org/state-of-homelessness/
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2026, May 29). HUD releases 2025 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress. https://www.hud.gov/news/hud-no-26-037