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Image of multiple hands holding a home.
Image courtesy of Posada Pueblo, www.posadapueblo.org.

Point-in-Time (PIT) Count

The Point-in-Time (PIT) count is a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness that HUD requires each Continuum of Care (CoC) nationwide to conduct on one night in the last 10 days of January each year. The Colorado Balance of State Continuum of Care conducts a sheltered count every year and both a sheltered and unsheltered count every odd year; in accordance with HUD's PIT Count Methodology Guide. 

The 2021 Unsheltered and Sheltered Point-in-Time Count for Colorado's Balance of State Continuum of Care will take place on Tuesday January 26th, 2021. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic there are some caveats to the Unsheltered Count that regions in the Colorado Balance of State will be making decisions on. See Point-in-Time (PIT) Sheltered and Unsheltered Count Process dropdown below for further information.

Housing Inventory Count (HIC)

The Housing Inventory Count (HIC) is a inventory of provider programs within a Continuum of Care that provide beds and units dedicated to serve people experiencing homelessness (and, for permanent housing projects, where homeless at entry, per the HUD homeless definition), categorized by five Program Types: Emergency Shelter; Transitional Housing; Rapid Re-housing; Safe Haven; and Permanent Supportive Housing.

For more information on the Housing Inventory Count (HIC) and to add your shelter and/or housing project (even if you receive no government/other funding), scroll to and expand the "Housing Inventory Count (HIC)" tab below. 

*Click the + to the left of the text below in order to expand! (Please note, the "PIT Count Training Content, Survey Forms, and Support Documents" dropdown is now combined in to one.)

CONTACT

Shawn Hayes
Balance of State Continuum of Care Coordinator
303-312-9651
shayes@coloradocoalition.org

 

Return to the Main CO BoS CoC Page

Point-in-Time and Housing Inventory Counts

Image of multiple hands holding a home.
Image courtesy of Posada Pueblo, www.posadapueblo.org.

Point-in-Time (PIT) Count

The Point-in-Time (PIT) count is a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness that HUD requires each Continuum of Care (CoC) nationwide to conduct on one night in the last 10 days of January each year. The Colorado Balance of State Continuum of Care conducts a sheltered count every year and both a sheltered and unsheltered count every odd year; in accordance with HUD's PIT Count Methodology Guide. 

The 2021 Unsheltered and Sheltered Point-in-Time Count for Colorado's Balance of State Continuum of Care will take place on Tuesday January 26th, 2021. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic there are some caveats to the Unsheltered Count that regions in the Colorado Balance of State will be making decisions on. See Point-in-Time (PIT) Sheltered and Unsheltered Count Process dropdown below for further information.

Housing Inventory Count (HIC)

The Housing Inventory Count (HIC) is a inventory of provider programs within a Continuum of Care that provide beds and units dedicated to serve people experiencing homelessness (and, for permanent housing projects, where homeless at entry, per the HUD homeless definition), categorized by five Program Types: Emergency Shelter; Transitional Housing; Rapid Re-housing; Safe Haven; and Permanent Supportive Housing.

For more information on the Housing Inventory Count (HIC) and to add your shelter and/or housing project (even if you receive no government/other funding), scroll to and expand the "Housing Inventory Count (HIC)" tab below. 

*Click the + to the left of the text below in order to expand! (Please note, the "PIT Count Training Content, Survey Forms, and Support Documents" dropdown is now combined in to one.)

Point-in-Time Count Reports and PIT Count Information

2021 (Sheltered and Unsheltered Count Year)

  • Report to be added later in 2021 when complete.

2020 (Sheltered Count Year)

  • 2020 Point-in-Time Sheltered Count Report - Please note that with Larimer and Weld Counties forming their own CoC in 2020, the numbers for the BoS CoC's PIT Count will be reduced as compared to previous years.

2019 (Sheltered and Unsheltered Count Year)

2018 (Sheltered Count Year)

2017 (Sheltered and Unsheltered Count Year)

2016 (Sheltered Count Year)

BoS Point-in-Time Count (PIT) Information:

The Point-In-Time (PIT) Sheltered and Unsheltered counts are a critical source of data on the number and characteristics of people who are homeless in the United States. The data is used to measure homelessness on a local and national level and are published annually on HUD’s HUD Exchange website, which can be viewed by CoCs and the general public.

The BoS CoC conducts a yearly Point-in-Time (PIT) Sheltered Count and a Biennial PIT Sheltered & Unsheltered Count. Individual regions may choose to conduct yearly unsheltered counts and provide their own reports for such counts.

PIT count data is also provided annually to Congress as part of the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) which is transitioning to the Longitudinal Systems Analysis (LSA). The AHAR (and soon LSA) are used by Congress, HUD, other federal departments, and the general public to understand the nature and extent of homelessness.

Please click the expandable boxes below for more information on the 2020 count!

Point-in-Time (PIT) Sheltered and Unsheltered Count Process

In 2021 regions in the BoS CoC are choosing options that make sense for them given Covid-19 and safety risks involved. For example, some regions are looking to complete a full Sheltered and Unsheltered Count utilizing surveys. Others are choosing to focus on an Observational Count and Sheltered Count. Lastly, a few regions have made the decision only to focus on the Sheltered Count, in consideration of safety and capacity concerns. 

More information on the Point-in-Time Count can be obtained via the HUD PIT Methodology Guide. Definitions of the types of Point-in-Time Counts are included below. Click to expand the "PIT Training Content,  Materials,  and  FAQ's" dropdown below this menu to access BoS Point-in-Time Materials for the BoS 2021 Unsheltered and Sheltered Count.

 

Sheltered Count Process (Covid-19 has not impacted the Sheltered Count, it will take place as usual.)

During the Sheltered Count, the Balance of State PIT Coordinators, Agencies, and Volunteers will Survey: “An individual or family living in a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangement (including congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state, or local government programs for low-income individuals).”

Surveys can be completed in person or via the agencies Homeless Management Information System as long as the agency collects the HUD required data on the night of the count. 

During a Sheltered Count the Balance of State agencies will also Count the number of individuals who live in Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and Rapid Rehousing (RRH). This count is reported to HUD, but is not used in either HUD or BoS CoC reports.

 

Unsheltered Count Process (Covid-19 HAS impacted the Unsheltered Count, see below for more information.)

During the Unsheltered Count, Balance of State PIT Coordinators, Agencies, and Volunteers Survey individuals and families experiencing homelessness per HUD's Homeless Definition Final Rule: “An individual or family with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, airport, or camping ground.”

 

Observational Unsheltered Count Process

An indirect count of individuals and families experiencing homelessness utilizing a survey based observation tool. HUD Describes Observational Counts in the following way: "When conducting a street count, there are situations in which it might not be possible for enumerators to interview a person in an unsheltered location. It might not be safe to approach someone in an abandoned building or someone who is sleeping. In these instances, it might be necessary to count a person and determine some of his or her characteristics based on observations. An observation tool may be used in these instances to record some characteristics that can be observed by the enumerator. For example, it may be possible to determine a person’s gender, but not his or her veteran status. Sometimes even gender is difficult to record, if for instance a sleeping person is wrapped in blankets or inside a cardboard box. When recording observations, it is important to record as much information as practicable about the physical location where the person is observed (e.g., the street name, any landmarks), as well as the person’s physical description (e.g., clothes, personal belongings) to assist with deduplication."

 

PIT/HIC Consultant

The Colorado Balance of State Continuum of Care contracts with the OMNI Institute in Denver, CO to provide Point-in-Time and Housing Inventory Count consulting services, data de-duplication and analysis, and the PIT Count Reports.

Click here if you'd like to email the CoC Coordinator for more information about the 2021 count, or to join the BoS Point-in-Time Work Group that is helping to plan the counts!

    PIT Count Training Content, Survey Forms, and Support Documents

    2021 Point-in-Time Count

    HUD has released various guidance for the 2021 Point-in-Time and Housing Inventory Counts. The main being the "Conducting the 2021 Unsheltered Count".

    Youth Supplemental Survey Update: The Youth Supplemental Survey has been removed and the Rural Collaborative for Homeless Youth and Office of Homeless Youth Services have asked that communities not complete those surveys yet. They will be conducting an independent count of youth at a later date. 

     

    2021 Point-in-Time Count Materials Below (For review/Information on the 2020 Count)

      HUD PIT Count Documents

       

      2021 Training Content

      PIT Coordinators - Those coordinating the Point-in-Time and Housing Inventory Counts for their region.

       

      PIT Surveyors - Those conducting surveys with individuals in sheltered programs and unsheltered living situations.

      BoS CoC PIT 2021 Surveyor Training- Youtube Video - 56 minute video training on the Sheltered & Unsheltered Point-in-Time Counts, the Observational Unsheltered Count, and the Youth Supplemental Survey as well as Covid-19 considerations. See below for a document that provides a timeline for the video content.

      Below are files organized by regional decisions on how your counties will conduct the Point-in-Time Count. All regions so far have chose to either complete a full Unsheltered Count or complete a Sheltered Count and Observational Unsheltered Count. The options below include those two choices. If your region opts out of completing an unsheltered count, then your region would only participate in the Sheltered Count.

      Full Unsheltered and Sheltered Point-in-Time Count Documents for Tuesday January 26th, 2021

      Sheltered Point-in-Time Count Documents - Sheltered Count documents to use on Tuesday January 26th, 2021.

      Unsheltered Point-in-Time Count Documents - Unsheltered Count documents to use with people experiencing unsheltered homelessness on Tuesday January 26th, 2021

       

      Sheltered Count and Observational Unsheltered Count Point-in-Time Documents Tuesday January 26th, 2021

      Observational Unsheltered Point-in-Time Count Documents - Observational Unsheltered Count documents used to observe people experiencing unsheltered homelessness on Tuesday January 26th, 2021

       

      Sheltered PIT Count Only Documents for Tuesday January 26th, 2021

       

       

      Point-in-Time Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

      Unsheltered Count Question (paraphrased): "Is there an approved HUD methodology for safely conducting a visual count of populations for places not meant for human habitation, like abandoned buildings, sheds, cars, etc? Can we use visuals to complete most of a survey without actually speaking to the person/family if the volunteer feels this would be a safer method the night of the count?"

      Answer:

      From the HUD Methodology Guide: When conducting a street count, there are situations in which it might not be possible for enumerators to interview a person in an unsheltered location. It might not be safe to approach someone in an abandoned building or someone who is sleeping. In these instances, it might be necessary to count a person and determine some of his or her characteristics based on observations. An observation tool may be used in these instances to record some characteristics that can be observed by the enumerator. For example, it may be possible to determine a person’s gender, but not his or her veteran status. Sometimes even gender is difficult to record, if for instance a sleeping person is wrapped in blankets or inside a cardboard box. When recording observations, it is important to record as much information as practicable about the physical location where the person is observed (e.g., the street name, any landmarks), as well as the person’s physical description (e.g., clothes, personal belongings) to assist with deduplication."

      From CCH: The best way to participate in the Point-in-Time Count is for someone to be surveyed directly. Always survey someone directly if possible. 

      When considering places not meant for human habitation, safety, volunteer comfort, etc. a region should always air on the side of safety and caution. Volunteers should be instructed to trust their instincts, stay "buddied-up" with other volunteers, and not enter structures or areas that seem unsafe even if it means not surveying someone who is experiencing homelessness. 

      If a volunteer is able to conduct a visual count and feels it is the best option not to disturb the individual or family, they should have visual of the individuals or families staying in the place not meant for human habitation and be able to provide an "accurate" description of the person or families age and as much information on the survey as possible. 

      We recommend writing "OBS" in the space for both the first and last name to identify the survey as an observation, along with an identifier to separate the observation surveys. For example: "OBS1", "OBS2", etc.

      Using observation data should be a last resort because it may lead to less accurate data. Information like a person's veteran status or disability, and even their gender/race can not always be gleaned from observation. Additionally, using observation data can increase the probability of a duplication in the count if the person or family complete a survey later that night or following and do not realize they've already been counted.

       

      Question: 

       

      Additional Questions? Email Shawn here: shayes@coloradocoalition.org

      Housing Inventory Count (HIC)

      The BoS Housing Inventory Count (HIC)

      The HIC is an inventory of projects within your CoC that provide beds and units dedicated to serving persons who are homeless. It is intended to provide HUD and CoCs with information about the shelter and housing capacity of homeless crisis response systems. It should reflect the number of beds and units available on the night designated for the count that are dedicated to serve persons who are homeless (and, for permanent housing projects, persons who were homeless at entry), per the HUD homeless definition. 

      You may access past years HIC reports via the Hudexchange website by clicking HERE, searching for the Colorado Balance of State CoC report along with the year of interest. 

      Important: The Housing Inventory Count includes all shelters and housing programs, not just those that receive HUD funding. By being included in the count and also participating in the Point-in-Time Count, you can help bring additional resources to your community. If you have a shelter or housing program that you would like to be included in the Balance of State's Housing Inventory Count, please contact us HERE.

      Return to the Main CO BoS CoC Page