The annual Point-in-Time Count (PIT) is census conducted during the last seven days of each January to produce “statistically reliable, unduplicated counts or estimates of homeless persons in sheltered and unsheltered locations at a one-day point in time.”

Since 1991, the Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless has coordinated the annual point-in-time census that provides the one-day snapshot of the county’s homeless population. The data gathered from the surveys help service providers, community leaders and elected officials insure that sufficient services are provided to meet the growing needs of these homeless families and individuals.

This data also helps to dispel false notions about homelessness. “Many people have in mind a stereotypical picture of an alcohol-addicted vagrant in tattered clothes sleeping in a doorway or on a park bench. However, the homeless census reveals that the face of homelessness now includes more families with children, nontraditional family types and a greater number of working poor households,” stated Sarah Snyder, the Coalition’s executive director. “It is important that we reach every homeless person so that we can assist them to regain self-sufficiency.”

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires a “Point-in-Time Count of Homeless Persons” across the country. Communities need accurate data on homelessness to determine the size and scope of the homeless problem at the local level, plan services and programs appropriately to address local needs, measure progress in addressing homelessness, and measure performance of individual programs and the system as a whole. HUD needs data to understand the extent and nature of homelessness throughout the country, to make funding decisions and more.

Snapshot

Last year’s count revealed that on any given day in Pinellas County 5,195 men, women, and children are homeless—an increase of 10% over the 2006 count. The biggest increase has been in women and children; 20.5% of the homeless are women, and 18.5% are children. Most of the people counted were residents of the county prior to becoming homeless, and they reported that inadequate wages and the reduced number of affordable housing units were contributing factors to their homelessness. To review the data and findings from the most recent PIT count, please click here.

This plan focuses on new efforts that must be enacted in order for the full system of care to be strengthened and to be truly effective to end homelessness in Pinellas County in the next ten years. Priority (or key) initiatives have been identified, around which our local governments and community leadership have made a commitment to achieve. These have been identified by the Homeless Leadership Network as the strategies that will have the greatest chance, early in the plan implementation, to open doors to opportunities to help end homelessness in Pinellas County.

How We Do It

HUD requires CoCs to base homeless population and subpopulation estimates on local data stored in Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) or manually collected through shelter and street counts. This year in Pinellas County, we used both methods in order to get the most accurate count possible. The ideal we are moving toward is to have a fully implemented HMIS with several years’ worth of reliable data, the population and subpopulation information required for Exhibit 1 of the CoC application, as well as additional data on client characteristics needed for effective program planning, will be available on demand from the HMIS without the need for manual surveys. Accurate and complete data enables the CoC to submit more competitive applications for HUD and non-HUD funding.

Each year, on the last Monday in January, beginning at 4 a.m., scores of volunteers spread throughout Pinellas County to conduct a manual count and survey of homeless people. They count and survey people in traditional service locations such as soup kitchens and day labor sites and in “street” sites such as encampments, parks and along railways. In all, approximately 200 volunteers visit nearly 250 sites to insure that every homeless person is counted and their needs documented.

Frequently, “incentives” are needed to secure the participation of homeless individuals in the survey and count. To encourage their participation and reward their cooperation, concerned organizations and businesses such as Caspers Company/McDonald’s, the North Pinellas Women’s Club, and United Methodist Cooperative Ministries donate daily survival items such as gift certificates for food, t-shirts, and “ditty” bags containing personal hygiene items.

The PIT is a collaborative effort led by PCCH and involves a number of private and public agencies, businesses, congregations, service clubs and individual volunteers (homeless and non-homeless). These collaborative partners play vital roles to help make the PIT a rewarding experience for respondents and volunteers alike.

How You Can Help

Volunteer recruitment for the PIT count is conducted year-round, and training is provided in early January. Concerned individuals are encouraged to donate their time or resources to assist us with the PIT count. There are a number of volunteer and donor opportunities available including:

Conducting street surveys;
Data entry;
Collecting toiletries to be distributed to homeless people on the streets;
Providing coffee and donuts for PIT volunteers;
Providing gift certificates for survey respondents as incentives;
Providing transportation for volunteers; and
Organizing the Volunteer Recognition Reception in March.

To learn more about these opportunities, interested persons may call the PCCH at (727) 528-5763 or send an e-mail to volunteer@pinellashomeless.org.

5180 62nd Ave. North, Pinellas Park, FL 33781 • tell: 727-528-5763

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