Each year in January, community groups estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States on a single night by conducting a Point-in-Time (PIT) count. The efforts are organized by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and are implemented by local groups that coordinate a Continuum of Care (CoC) of homelessness services. On the ground, counts involve large teams with many volunteers counting the number of unhoused individuals observed outdoors in each community. Surely, there are limitations to the PIT count, but it provides useful information and illustrates important steps and challenges in social research.
On one hand, the PIT count is a flawed method — many people experiencing homelessness are not so easily observed, e.g., people living in vehicles, residing in remote spaces, or staying in sheds, trailers, or abandoned buildings. In addition, the PIT count does not include people who are doubled-up or precariously housed. From this perspective, the numbers each year are only part of the whole picture.
On the other hand, the planning, coordination, and usefulness of the PIT count should not be overlooked. Prior to PIT counts, our knowledge of the prevalence of homelessness was more contested, and estimates varied tremendously. In the 1980’s, Mitch Snyder, an advocate for housing rights, declared that there were several million people experiencing homelessness. In contrast, HUD estimated between 250,000 and 350,000 people, but no one really knew.
About Author
Neil Greene, Ph.D
Neil Greene is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Alcohol, Substance Use, and Addictions (CASAA) at the University of New Mexico. He studies relationships between housing instability, addiction, and criminal legal system involvement. This work has been supported by a training grant (T32-AA018108) from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
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