Planning Considerations for the 2023 Point in Time Count

This webinar was geared toward the planning phase of the annual HUD Point-in-Time (PIT) Count of persons experiencing homelessness. Materials covered include:

• A review of the core functionality within Counting Us and the Regional Command Center along with new features and services available for the 2023 PIT count.
• A recap of the training, support, and resources available throughout the entire count process.
• A walkthrough of the optional features that can be added to meet your local needs.
• A discussion of how Show The Way can enable the ongoing work of street outreach to improve the PIT and how the PIT can inform the work of street outreach.
• Planning considerations for the upcoming count.

Planning the 2022 Point in Time Count

This webinar was geared toward the planning phase of the annual HUD Point in Time Count of persons experiencing homelessness. We demonstrated pre-Count features from Counting Us, such as:

• The Volunteer Registration Portal
• Region and Team Management
• The Known Locations Survey, and more!

These tools can streamline your process for planning the count, help you determine where to send your volunteers during the count, and improve coverage of your entire region.

Special Guests: Miracle Messages, a non-profit specializing in Social Reunification, is offering a unique opportunity to partner during this year's Count. Contact Us to learn how your community can participate in this exciting effort!

The Slide Deck (with links from the Q&A added) can be accessed here.

• Participated in a live demo of Counting Us, the leading mobile app for the annual Point in Time homeless count.
• Previewed the latest updates made to Counting Us and the Regional Command Center.
• Explored the potential benefits of starting the data collection process early with trained street outreach teams using the Show The Way mobile app, specifically designed for Street Outreach data collection in the field.
• Learned how the free Family Reunification survey can reconnect people with their loved ones.
• Heard how local PIT counts can be used to support research aimed at improving how we respond to homelessness.
• Learned strategies from those who conducted the count last year about how to conduct a safe and effective count during COVID.
• Saw how our GPS-enabled tools support HUD's new guidance on using sampling and enumeration to produce a statistically reliable count estimate.

• The slide deck from the webinar is linked to here.

During the 2021 PIT Count Wrap Up session we provided an overview of the tools available for completing the data clean up, compiling the results, and getting your data submitted to HDX in time for the May 14th deadline. Topics we covered included:

• Moving surveys posted outside of your region
• Identifying potential duplicates
• Extrapolating to fill the gaps of missing responses
• The new aggregation tool to compile results from HMIS and Counting Us
• Your feedback on what went well and what we might improve upon
• How outreach staff using Show the Way can improve the accuracy of your PIT
• Taking action with your PIT data!

We also shared annual trends for analysis from the National Homelessness Dashboard and how you can get your 2021 results added in.

• The slide deck from the webinar is linked to here.

The Finalizing Plans for your 2021 PIT Count video is a recording of the webinar hosted by Simtech on January 6, 2021 that explains how surveys can be tailored to meet local needs, how the data is managed in real-time within the Regional Command Center, and how communities can plan for their 2021 Point in Time.

• The slide deck from the webinar is linked to here.
• The Q&A from the webinar can be found here.

The Mobile Tech to Conduct an Effective 2021 PIT Count video is a recording of the webinar hosted by Simtech on December 8, 2020 that explains how Counting Us can help CoCs follow HUD guidance for conducting a PIT Count during COVID. 

• The slide deck from the webinar is linked to here.
• The Q&A from the webinar can be found here.

The Point in Time Information Session recording (2018) provides a comprehensive overview of the Counting Us app as well as the functionality within the Regional Command Center.