FLAGSTAFF — Due to winter weather, the annual Point in Time (PIT) Count has been rescheduled to Feb 24, 25, & 28 throughout the City of Flagstaff from its original dates of Feb 23-25. Volunteers are needed for Monday, Feb 28!
For more information or to sign up to volunteer, please visit https://loom.ly/bM6Vb8Y or contact Sarah Rendon with Catholic Charities at msrendon@cc-az.org / 928-909-7731.
Why do we Count?
Point-in-time counts are important because they establish the dimensions of the problem of homelessness and help policymakers and program administrators track progress toward the goal of ending homelessness. The first of these counts was conducted in January 2005 meaning that we have data for every Continuum of Care for the last ten years. Collecting data on homelessness and tracking progress can inform public opinion, increase public awareness, and attract resources that will lead to the eradication of the problem. If homeless youth are not included in local point-in-time counts, their needs could be under-represented as governments, nonprofits, and key stakeholders at the federal, state, and local level plan to respond to the problem.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development uses information from the local point-in-time counts, among other data sources, in the congressionally mandated Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (AHAR). This report is meant to inform Congress about the number of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. and the effectiveness of HUD’s programs and policies in decreasing those numbers.
On the local level, point-in-time counts help communities plan services and programs to appropriately address local needs, measure progress in decreasing homelessness, and identify strengths and gaps in a community’s current homelessness assistance system.
Source: https://endhomelessness.org/resource/what-is-a-point-in-time-count/