2013 Point-In-Time Count’s New Methodology Explained
Communications Admin • July 8, 2013
By Dr. Cathy Troisi, Associate Professor at the University Of Texas School Of Public Health
Several significant changes were made in the methodology of the 2011 count to improve the completeness and accuracy of the enumeration and these were implemented and enhanced in the 2012 and 2013 counts as well. The first was the involvement of traditional homeless services providers under the umbrella of the Coalition for the Homeless along with academia (University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health) and a local health department [Houston Department of Health and Human Services (HDHHS)].
This collaboration was exemplified by including the implementation of an Incident Command System (ICS), a standardized management tool used in fire, police, and public health preparedness activities ensuring integration of efforts through its defined organizational structure. ICS has many advantages including an orderly, systematic planning process and clear chains of command and supervision. Command Central was set up at HDHHS.
Other improvements in 2013 included use of ten staging areas, an increase of four over the six staging areas used in 2010 and one over the nine used in 2011 and 2012. The additional staging areas reduced travel time needed by teams to get into the field and thus increased their time available to count the homeless. One practice count took place on January 22th before the actual count on January 29th. This allowed Staging Area Captains and Co-Captains as well as the Surface and Outreach Specialist teams to become familiar with their duties and the geographic areas which they were to cover.
Enumeration activity included the Ft. Bend area to better characterize homelessness in that county. Efforts in the past to count Ft. Bend homeless individuals have not been optimized and so the extent of the problem has not been well defined. By increasing the number of teams and adding a staging area in the county, we were able to get a better picture of homelessness in that area.
Improvements were made to the composition and function of teams that counted the unsheltered homeless. Volunteer teams included homeless and formerly homeless individuals who could guide teams to locations where the homeless are likely to be found. The use of Outreach Specialist Teams to canvass areas not readily seen by teams driving by resulted in fewer unsheltered homeless remaining undetected. On the night of the count, “SWAT” teams were formed with HDHHS personnel. These teams were sent out to sectors that needed additional assistance identifying and counting homeless persons, thus increasing coverage of all areas.
The methodology of the sheltered count also was enhanced. This was accomplished in two ways. First, a greater effort was made to identify and inventory all emergency shelters in the area, whether or not they were officially part of the Houston/Harris County Continuum of Care. Secondly, shelters that use the housing inventory chart were encouraged to return that form for the night of the PIT and follow-up calls were made to ensure they were received. For 2010, 75% of the emergency shelter projects and 69% of the transitional housing projects reported the number of persons sheltered on the night of the PIT. For the 2011-2013 counts, due to this increased effort, 100% of entities defined by HUD as housing the sheltered homeless for the purposes of the Point-in-Time count (n=65) reported their numbers. Over 94% of sheltered numbers came from HMIS, meeting the HUD requirement of >75%.
The 2013 PIT Count included a concerted effort to enumerate emancipated youth ages 24 and younger who have not been optimally counted in previous years entitled YouthCount!. This was done by sending volunteer teams to places where youth were known to congregate and administering a short survey to collect basic demographic information as well as length and reasons for homelessness. Places canvassed included Ft. Bend Women’s Center, HAY Center, Star of Hope, Salvation Army Social Services, Covenant House, Open Gate Bering UMC Youth Advocates, Kinder Emergency Shelter, Houston Area Women’s Center, and Montrose Grace Place.
A point-in-time (PIT) count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons in the Houston, Harris County, and Ft. Bend County areas was conducted from 3 to 11 pm on 29 January 2013. The purpose of the count was to determine the number of homeless persons [defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as those staying in emergency shelter, transitional housing, or safe haven with beds dedicated for homeless persons or those persons who are unsheltered (i.e., staying in a place not meant for human habitation)]. The PIT count is a federal requirement for all communities receiving funding from HUD. Although, due to the size of the geographic area that is covered by the count, we know that not all persons experiencing homelessness can be identified in a single night, the PIT Count gives a good assessment of the extent of the problem in the region.
The PIT count was organized and led by the Coalition for the Homeless in consultation with The University of Texas School of Public Health and the Houston Department of Health and Human Services. Many homeless services providers participated as well as community volunteers, including homeless and formerly homeless persons.
The 2013 count enumerated individuals staying in a total of 65 shelters including emergency shelters (n=16), transitional housing units (n=48), and one safe haven on the night of 29 January based on reports received from the providers. Unsheltered homeless individuals (those sleeping on the streets or in places not meant for habitation) were counted using two methods. Surface teams (one driver, one service provider, one homeless or formerly homeless person, and one community volunteer) drove the streets of the enumeration area observing and counting homeless individuals. Teams left from one of ten staging areas, each of which was divided into smaller sectors. The number of teams assigned to each sector was based on the prevalence of unsheltered homeless in previous counts. The surface teams counted unsheltered homeless persons found on street corners, parks, parking lots, convenience stores and other areas where they congregate.
Areas where homeless persons were likely to be found but that are not visible from the street were canvassed by Outreach Specialist Teams comprised of homeless service providers familiar with the areas through their professional work. These teams walked under bridges, along the bayous and other areas where encampments of homeless had been identified. They also investigated abandoned buildings where homeless persons may be residing. Care was taken not to double count homeless individuals.
To read the Executive Summary of the findings from the 2013 Point-in-Time Count, click here.
Houston, Texas (February 24, 2026) – This week, the nonprofit Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (CFTH) is leading the annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count & Survey (“PIT Count”) to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness across Houston and throughout Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties. “We may see a slight uptick in the number this year, but we have a plan,” said Kelly Young, President & CEO of CFTH. “With the support of the City of Houston, Harris County, and private funders, we have been piloting new interventions to shorten the length of time people in our region experience homelessness. With adequate funding, we look forward to expanding those interventions to help people regain lives of self-determination.” CFTH coordinates the Houston region’s public-private homeless response system, The Way Home . Through this collaboration, The Way Home partners have successfully housed over 36,000 people since 2012. CFTH will release the results of Houston’s 2026 PIT Count in the summer, following independent verification by an epidemiologist. These findings will provide insight into how factors such as increases in the cost of living and the end of federal pandemic relief funding have impacted homelessness in our region. More information about the 2026 Point-in-Time Homeless Count & Survey The PIT Count offers a snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness in our region on a single night. This year, the “night of record” is Monday, Feb. 23. CFTH determines the number of people staying in shelters on that night by pulling records electronically from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) . The unsheltered count will be conducted on the following days, from Tuesday, Feb. 24 to Thursday, Feb. 26. More than 400 volunteers and staff of local nonprofit service provider partners will canvass the three-county region to survey people living unsheltered, using an app on their mobile devices. Results from the 2026 PIT Count will help gauge the progress of The Way Home’s ongoing collaborative efforts. It will also help CFTH and partner homeless outreach teams understand geographic shifts and target their outreach throughout the year. The PIT Count illuminates specific programmatic gaps and provides additional information needed to allocate resources most efficiently. The PIT Count is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) for the annual Continuum of Care (CoC) funding process. HUD furnishes the majority of funding for programs that provide housing and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness in the region. In 2024, HUD granted more than $71 million to the Houston area.
As lead agency to The Way Home Continuum of Care (CoC), CFTH is working with local governmental entities to advocate on behalf of people experiencing homelessness to ensure their needs are being considered as winter weather affects our region. We will make frequent updates as we receive information. Please check back often for the latest information. Last updated 02/01/2026 at 12:00 p.m.
While our system has helped thousands of people move from homelessness to housing, this year’s results highlight the need to broaden our approach.
