PIT Count gives insight into Veteran homelessness

With the news that Veteran homelessness has reached a record low, it’s the perfect time to look at how that information was gathered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count.

The latest episode of our Ending Veteran Homelessness podcast, with guest William Snow, senior program specialist at HUD, dives into the PIT Count methodology and how to interpret the results.

How the PIT Count works

Conducted each year over the last 10 days of January, the PIT Count attempts to capture how many people across the country are experiencing sheltered or unsheltered homelessness. January was selected because it tends to have the highest rates of homelessness.

Unlike other assessments, the PIT Count doesn’t just focus on those who have engaged with homeless services.

“Just as important is knowing who is not coming to our system, who is refusing or prefers not to be served,” said Snow. “We need to understand who they are so that we can get a better picture of how we can find them to give them the services they want.”

While it’s straightforward to count those experiencing sheltered homelessness, there are only two ways that communities can report unsheltered homeless counts to HUD.

Trained volunteers can either go out on a single night and count all those they find sleeping outside or they can conduct interviews over a week-long period. The latter method is preferred because it allows the volunteers to collect valuable demographic information on those experiencing homelessness, such as Veteran status.

Interpreting the results

The PIT Count provides a lot of good data, but it’s not the final word on homelessness in the United States. For example, it can’t identify people who are couch surfing among friends and family.

And since it shows just a snapshot in time, the results are most valuable when combined with other data. This can help identify trends, such as whether homelessness is rising or declining over time or if demographics are shifting.

“It is a litmus test we use every single year. It tells us the trend. You take that information and you layer it with whatever other homeless information you can get,” Snow added.

Over the years, the PIT Count and other data have definitively shown that Veteran homelessness is declining, dropping by 55.6% since 2010.

This year’s count determined that 32,882 Veterans were unhoused. This is the lowest number since we began measuring Veteran homelessness in 2009 and a 7.5% decrease since last year.

Learn about VA programs 

• If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk for homelessness or need to connect with a Veterans justice outreach specialist, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).
• Volunteer for the PIT Count by contacting your local Continuum of Care.
• Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for Veterans exiting homelessness.
• Check out the Ending Veteran Homelessness podcast to learn more about what VA is doing about Veteran homelessness. 
• Learn how to get involved with housing homeless Veterans.
• Subscribe to the Homeless Programs Office newsletter to receive monthly updates about programs and supportive services for Veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.