Neighborhood Philanthropy: Homelessness Point in Time Count

Oxford is host to some wonderful non-profit organizations that provide for our community in so many ways. We want to provide a glimpse of these organizations each month. Annually, every Continuum of Care in the nation performs a Point-in-Time (PIT) Count of all people experiencing homelessness in a shelter and on the street in the last 10 days of January. The PIT count offers the ability to monitor trends in homelessness across a geography, support local efforts in ending homelessness by identifying unmet needs and characteristics of persons experiencing homelessness, and identify areas where the development of housing and supportive service programs is needed.

The Balance of State Continuum of Care, which covers the majority of counties within the state, participates in this statewide effort in order to bring federal resources into the state to address issues of homelessness in our communities. These resources come from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the Continuum of Care Process. This year’s Point in Time reference period will be January 28th, 2025 @12:00a.m. – January 29th, 2025 @12:00a.m. The count is based on the following: Sheltered (emergency shelter, transitional housing clients, or hotel/motels paid for by non-profit organizations) and Unsheltered (living in a place not meant for human habitation)

The PIT count is reliant on volunteer and agency participation. If you or your agency have an interest in taking part in the PIT Count, please email rglenn@msbos.org OR complete the steps listed in the link under ‘How to Participate‘.