The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count Is Still Happening, but It Looks Different This Year
This year’s PIT night is January 27, 2021.
Most years, folks from around Minnesota in our sector work together to take a one-night snapshot of the state of homelessness, both sheltered and unsheltered. This year, it will look different.
We will conduct the sheltered count as always; however, due to the pandemic, HUD has given communities options for the 2021 unsheltered count, urging them to prioritize safety. Many regions in Minnesota decided to request a full exception from HUD, which means they will not conduct a formal unsheltered count. Others may conduct an abbreviated version; conducting phone-only surveys or utilizing only street outreach teams, for example. Defer to your CoC Coordinator for regional guidance.
Which Agencies Participate in the Sheltered Count?
Any agency that has an Emergency Shelter (ES), Safe Haven (SH), or Transitional Housing (TH) program is asked to participate, regardless of funding source or HMIS participation. This includes new and temporary shelters. On the same night of the PIT, the Housing Inventory Count (HIC) is collected, which provides a snapshot of a CoC’s inventory of beds and units available to serve people experiencing homelessness.
How Does PIT Happen?
At the agency-level, for HMIS-participating programs, it is business as usual. Just be sure to continue your thorough, complete, and timely data entry in HMIS. For agencies not participating in HMIS, you will need to complete a survey for each client and family served on that night. Your CoC Coordinator will share instructions in January.
What Should I Do?
HMIS ES and TH agencies: Be sure you have up-to-date data collection forms. If an individual or household is no longer being served by your project, please exit them out of your project in MN HMIS. You can use the Clients Exceeding Max Length of Stay report to help identify these clients. Conduct timely and complete data entry for everyone in your program on PIT night.
ES and TH agencies or projects who do not or do not yet participate in HMIS: Ensure your CoC Coordinator has your contact information and that you receive the 2021 PIT Count survey. Staff up for the PIT night so you have capacity to administer the survey for everyone you serve that night. If your agency is unable to complete surveys with everyone you serve that night, you may need to provide aggregate data to your CoC Coordinator.
Folks who participate in the unsheltered count: Reach out to your CoC Coordinator for direction on your region.
You can access the updated training materials for the 2021 PIT count, including the paper survey (long and short versions) and PIT LIVE practice page, on our Point-in-Time Count webpage at hmismn.org.
What Happened Last Year?
7,940 people were homeless in Minnesota on the night of the 2020 PIT count. You can also review 2020 PIT infographics for more information.
As always, reach out with questions at mnhmis@icalliances.org.