Point In Time (PIT) Count

January 2025

This page was last updated 2/14/2025

This page is for persons in Berkshire, Franklin, and Hampshire Counties who are looking to get involved in the PIT Count.

The Point in Time Count has ended!

Thank you for participating in our Service-based count. Please scan and email completed surveys to nburtzos@communityaction.us as soon as possible.

You may also find mailing and fax instructions to submit completed forms on the bottom of each survey.

We hope to share some initial information on Unsheltered Count numbers with the community soon, but are still collecting completed Survey forms from community partners.

When will the PIT Count take place?

The designated night that will be counted is Wednesday January 29th, 2025.

Persons who experienced homelessness can be surveyed between the night of Wednesday January 29th through Wednesday February 5th.

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PIT Count Documents

Community members can print and complete PIT Count Surveys with people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Completed surveys can be returned to the CoC according to directions on the bottom of each document.

Survey Forms - English

Survey Forms - Spanish

Survey Forms - Haitian/Creole

Handout for the unhoused community:

Who is counted?

Unsheltered Homelessness

1st priority for the PIT Count - persons who were experiencing unsheltered homelessness on the night of January 29th.

The following are examples of unsheltered homelessness

Sleeping in cars/vehicles
Tents/camping/encampments
Abandoned buildings/structures without heat or water connections
Bus/train stations
Parks/parking lots
Warming Centers
Any other primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings

Other Situations

2nd priority for the PIT Count - persons who were in one of the following situations the night of the count:

Jail/Prison/Incarcerated
Couch surfing (doubled up, not on the lease)
Residential treatment program/Rehab/Detox center
Motel/Hotel, paid out of pocket (not funded by an organization)
Hospital/Medical Institution/skilled nursing facility
At home, in danger, and unable to leave

While we cannot include these persons in the PIT Count Report, we do utilize this information in our community assessment locally.

Sheltered Homelessness

Not typically surveyed for the PIT Count

Providers of Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, Safe Havens, and/or motel/hotel vouchers must report aggregate data to the CoC if the project is not entered into HMIS.

PIT Count Surveys should not be completed for persons that report staying in one of the types of shelter listed above on the night of January 29th, unless it is by the shelter provider.

See our section on Shelter reporting for more information.

What are the steps to participate in the PIT Count?

1. Complete this brief form (only once) to express interest in participating

https://forms.office.com/r/wM3HYDfuC0

2. Complete training by January 22nd - through one of the following options:

Self-paced recording through the CoC's Talent LMS website (login with existing account or access the training here:
https://threecountycoc.talentlms.com/shared/start/key:LGAIDNHR
Attend one of the following live trainings throughout January on Zoom, listed below:
- Wednesday, January 29th from 3:00-4:00 PM
  Meeting link for training series:
  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83188977235?pwd=88suSBr6z3majo7zRsazoRqqOkKQvw.1

3. Prepare to survey

People who work directly with persons who may be experiencing homelessness should let clients know about the PIT Count ahead of January 29th, so they know what to expect if they are surveyed up to a week later
Become familiar with the Survey tool, and consider how you will handle asking sensitive questions
Print out Surveys from our Document section!

4. Time to count

Unless you are conducting outreach in the evening of designated night of the count, you will begin surveying people beginning Thursday January 30th through Wednesday February 5th on where they slept on Wednesday January 29th.

5. Submit collected results to Natalie Burtzos following the instructions listed on the PIT Count Surveys

Contact information is listed at the bottom of each Survey Form

PIT Count Planning Meeting

On January 14th, we held a planning meeting to discuss logistics and answer questions about the PIT Count. If you were unable to attend, check out our recording of the meeting:

Information for Warming Centers

Warming centers may play a vital role in helping our communities get an accurate count of persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the following ways:

If a warming center is in operation on the night of Wednesday January 29th, then persons utilizing the warming center would be considered as experiencing unsheltered homelessness and should be counted in the PIT Count
Warming centers in operation between Thursday January 30th and Wednesday February 5th can still survey people about where they slept the night of Wednesday January 29th

Please consider attending training and letting us know that you will be attempting to count some persons utilizing the warming center.

Information for Shelters, Safe Havens, and Transitional Housing Providers

Shelters, Safe Havens, and Transitional Housing Providers who participate in Clarity HMIS do not need to take action to survey people the night of January 29th.

However, if your Shelter/Safe Haven/Transitional Housing project is not part of Clarity HMIS, we will request that you collect aggregate data

Aggregate PIT Count Form 2025

Please email Aggregate forms to nburtzos@communityaction.us and mlafleur@communityaction.us

Information for Providers of Motel/Hotel Vouchers

Hotel and/or Motel stays that are paid for by a non-profit or local government organization are considered a form of shelter by HUD. If your hotel/motel stays are not entered into Clarity HMIS, please reach out to receive information on aggregate data we must collect to accurately report sheltered homelessness for the night of January 29th, 2025.