Press release from the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services:

The Humboldt Housing & Homelessness Coalition (HHHC) will conduct a Point-in-Time count of people experiencing homelessness during the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 23, and volunteers are needed to assist.

The biennial count, known by many as the PIT, is a U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requirement. Numbers from the count are used by the State of California to allocate funding to counties to address homelessness and housing. The last PIT count conducted in Humboldt County took place in 2022. 

Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services PIT Count Coordinator Robert Ward said, “The data collected during the count are the only estimate we have of how many people are unsheltered in Humboldt County on a given night. There is no other data source that can help us answer that question, and the state uses PIT count results to determine how much homelessness funding will be allocated to each region. We are counting on volunteers to ensure we have complete coverage of all the areas where people experiencing street homelessness may be found.” 

Volunteers will gather into teams early on the morning of Jan. 23, and start counting at 6 a.m. In addition to a head count, volunteers will ask people where they slept the night before and gather other general demographic information. 

For more information and to sign up to volunteer, visit humboldt.pointintime.info.

The HHHC is also collecting information about locations where people are known to be residing. If you are able to contribute information on known locations, please register as a volunteer so that you can input that information, even if you do not plan to assist us on the morning of the count. Questions can be directed to: HHHC@co.humboldt.ca.us.

The HHHC is a coalition of housing advocates, businesses, funders, elected officials, services and housing providers, faith-based organizations and other community stakeholders working together to identify and address local housing needs. In Humboldt County, the HHHC is the lead group for homelessness issues and the federally designated Continuum of Care. For more information about the HHHC, visit humboldtgov.org/hhhc.