Sacramento homeless advocates are gearing up to count those experiencing homelessness on January 26 and 27 to gain insight into their situations and collect data. But they say they can’t do it without community help.
The effort is called the Point in Time (PIT) count, a federally-mandated survey that collects data on those living outside during the winter every two years. The findings help inform how much funding counties receive from federal and state governments for homeless services.
Sacramento Steps Forward runs the survey. Trent Simmons, the nonprofit’s chief program officer, told CapRadio that volunteers are vital to the count and producing an accurate picture of what the unhoused face in the Sacramento region.
“ It’s 965 square miles and getting the right number of volunteers to actually comb through that entire space and accurately get that count is incredibly difficult,” Simmons said.
This year, Simmons said they hope to get 1,000 volunteers. Currently 380 people have signed up.
“ At the local level, it really is an opportunity for us to engage the community and to bring as many volunteers out as possible to actually walk the streets and to meet people,” Simmons added. “To talk to people who are experiencing homelessness and to understand who they are.”
Sacramento City Councilmember Eric Guerra will be volunteering for the fourth time this year. Guerra said that each year he has uncovered new insights.
“One of the important things in that point in time count is we gather a lot of the statistical information,” Guerra said. “What their needs are and what their issues are, to recognize that not everyone has the same challenge and same issue.”
Volunteers are provided training on the evening of the count. They are divided into teams to survey specific neighborhoods, using census tracts on their mobile devices.
According to Sacramento Steps Forward, the survey questions will include “Where are you sleeping tonight?”, “Is this the first time you’ve been homeless?” and “What are two things Sacramento could do better to help people who are homeless?”
Different years often yield different results. Simmons noted that in 2024, the last year the count was conducted, there was a 29% decrease in homelessness – from 9,278 to 6,615.
Several groups that provide services for Sacramento’s unhoused community questioned the figure and the accuracy of the count.
Simmons told CapRadio the survey is meant as a sample, and is not an exact accounting.
“Was it exactly 29%? Maybe not,” he said. “But all of the data we are collecting outside of the PIT was pointing to some kind of a decrease.”
Still, the survey plays a major role in how much funding Sacramento will receive for local homeless shelters and related services. Those who run it say more volunteers provide a more well rounded idea of what’s happening on a given night in the winter.
“I think for anybody who does it is rewarding, it is helpful. It means something,” Simmons added. “It is an opportunity to see exactly what our community is doing for those who are on the streets and beyond.”
The 2026 Sacramento Point-in-Time count will take place from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. January 26 and January 27.
Volunteers have until January 16 to sign up here, but Simmons said no one will be turned away from volunteering if they show up the night of.
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