The Humboldt Housing and Homeless Coalition (HHHC) will conduct a Point-in-Time count of people experiencing homelessness during the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 26. 

The count, known by many as the PIT, is a U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirement. Numbers from the count are used by the state of California to allocate funding to counties to address homelessness and housing.

The last PIT count conducted in Humboldt County took place in 2019. Although it is historically a biennial count, because of COVID, the 2021 count did not take place. 

Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services Senior Program Manager Sally Hewitt, a longtime member of the HHHC, said it is important to get as accurate a count as possible. “The results of the count help us look at the demographics of our homeless population and help us plan for the future.”

Volunteers will gather into teams early on the morning of Jan. 26, and start counting at 7:05 a.m., finishing by noon. In addition to a head count, volunteers will ask people where they slept the night before and gather other general demographic information. 

For more information and to sign up to volunteer, visit humboldt.pointintime.info.

The HHHC is a coalition of housing advocates, businesses, funders, elected officials, services and housing providers, faith-based organizations and other community stakeholders working together to identify and address local housing needs. In Humboldt County, the HHHC is the lead group for homelessness issues and the federally designated Continuum of Care. For more information about the HHHC, visit humboldtgov.org/hhhc.