COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – The point-in-time count is approaching, which determines the number of unhoused people across the country on a single night. <\/p>\n
For El Paso County, staff and volunteers with ChangeLine have been preparing all year, following a record count in 2025. <\/p>\n
ChangeLine leads the PIT count in the county, and Community Relations Manager Merrina Mendez said an accurate count is crucial and plays a role in how much federal funding organizations get.<\/p>\n
In 2025, homelessness in El Paso County increased by around 600 people. Mende said it wasn\u2019t necessarily an increase, though, but rather a more accurate count. <\/p>\n
Mendez said ChangeLine achieved a more accurate count by having more volunteers out in the community surveying the unhoused than in previous years. <\/p>\n
Because changes to the process were made last year, Mendez said ChangeLine plans to utilize a similar number of volunteers, around 125, in order to remain consistent.<\/p>\n
The organization wants to avoid changing the PIT count formula too often so that trends are not disrupted. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to make sure we can look back in years from now and see we remained consistent in methodology,\u201d Mendez continued. \u201cWe have such a great foundation to go off of, so we are excited to repeat it and see where it gets us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2026 PIT count lands on Saturday, January 24, and volunteers will conduct surveys for four days after that. <\/p>\n
The count is comprised of how many sheltered and unsheltered unhoused people there are. <\/p>\n
Mendez said the weather could affect the outcome of the count, as more people seek shelter and the City of Colorado Springs expands warming shelters. <\/p>\n
\u201cAt its core, accuracy means people are seen, counted and not overlooked, but involved in the solutions our community comes up with when it comes to homelessness,\u201d said Mendez.<\/p>\n