The 2021 PIT count for San Francisco will be held January 28, 2021 from 9:00pm to 12:00am.
Every two years, during the last ten days of January, communities across the country conduct comprehensive counts of the local population experiencing homelessness. Point-in-Time (PIT) Counts measure the prevalence of homelessness in each community and collect information on individuals and families residing in emergency shelters and transitional housing, as well as on people sleeping on the streets, in cars, abandoned properties, or other places not meant for human habitation.
The Point-in-Time Count is the only source of nationwide data on sheltered and unsheltered homelessness and is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) of all jurisdictions receiving federal funding to provide housing and services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
Currently, the San Francisco Continuum of Care (CoC) receives over $44 million dollars annually in federal funding, a key source of funding for the county’s homeless services. Continuums of Care report the findings of their local Point-in-Time Count annually to HUD. This information ultimately helps the federal government to better understand the nature and extent of homelessness nationwide. Count data also help to inform communities’ local strategic planning, capacity building, and advocacy campaigns to prevent and end homelessness
Reports from San Francisco’s previous PIT counts can be found here: https://hsh.sfgov.org/about/research-and-reports/san-francisco-homeless-point-in-time-count-reports/
Many individuals who live and/or work in San Francisco support the county’s effort to enumerate the local homeless population. Community volunteers serve as enumerators on the night of the count, canvassing San Francisco in teams to visually count individuals experiencing homelessness. In order to participate in the count, all volunteers and guides are required to participate in an online training prior to the count. The 2021 PIT count will incorporate public health guidance to reflect COVID informed practices to support health and safety of enumerators and persons experiencing homelessness- details can be found here. To volunteer for the 2021 count on January 28, 2021, 9pm – 12am, click the link below to be taken to our online form.
City employees who do not work for the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) must adhere to their department’s policy on how to request overtime/compensatory time for volunteer hours related to the point in time count. HSH will not provide overtime/compensatory time authorization or approval for non-HSH employees.