In collaboration with community and human service providers, the Snohomish County Department of Human Services is conducting the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Homeless Count on Tuesday, Jan. 24. The annual count is an important tool in the community’s efforts to assess the number of homeless individuals and families in Snohomish County, as well as to determine ways of ending homelessness.

The count covers people staying in emergency shelters, transitional housing and on the street or other places not meant for habitation. The unsheltered count will take place between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Jan. 24 for individuals who were unsheltered on the night of Jan. 23. Service-based counts will take place through Jan. 30.

Human service providers, other community service providers and county staff will join together in this effort to count the number of families and individuals who are experiencing homelessness in the community.

“The PIT Count is our chance every year to collect data and determine where our programs can have the greatest impact,” said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “We are a compassionate community that values public safety and human dignity. Our community is neither safe nor compassionate if people are living on our streets. I urge anyone who is interested to volunteer to help conduct our PIT Count.”

For information about volunteer opportunities, contact Liz Salazar at elizabeth.salazar@co.snohomish.wa.us or 425-388-3922.

According to a county press release, the results of the count will help ensure that vital federal and state funding continues to come into the community to fight homelessness. Data from the annual count is also used to help understand how widespread homelessness is in Snohomish County and who is most affected.

The Point-in-Time Count is only a count of some of those who are homeless at one particular time, the county said. By itself, it is not a predictor of how many people will be homeless or receive housing resources throughout the rest of the year. However, when used along with other data points, the data can help paint a picture of the need and how well the county is doing in efforts to address the problem of homelessness.

During the 2022 count, 584 individuals in 535 households reported they were unsheltered. Another 600 persons in 418 households were without a permanent place to stay and were temporarily housed in emergency shelter or transitional housing. There were 46 veterans, 582 chronically homeless individuals, and 107 households with children under 18.

Emphasis on the Point-in-Time Count began in 2006, with Snohomish County’s approval of the local homeless plan that included strategies for ending homelessness.

More information on the PIT history and methodology is located on the Human Services Point-in-Time Count webpage.