Santa Clara County will be conducting the 2025 Point-In-Time Count of unhoused residents next week, and is seeking volunteers to help.
The PIT count, which is conducted every two years by communities in California, provides data that helps guide local policy decisions regarding homelessness, according to county staff.
The 2025 PIT Count, also known as the Homeless Census and Survey, will take place the mornings of Jan. 22-23. The count is conducted on behalf of the Santa Clara County Continuum of Care—a group that includes the City of San Jose and more than 14 other cities in Santa Clara County.
Information gathered during the PIT count helps guide efforts by the county, other local governments and community partners to assist homeless individuals and families, the county said in a press release. Federal and state agencies use the data as well.
“The county and our partners are incredibly grateful for members of the community who volunteer for the PIT Count, performing a valuable public service that helps people in need,” said KJ Kaminski, acting director of the County Office of Supportive Housing. “The PIT Count provides a snapshot of the unhoused population that, along with other tools and data, helps us determine how to allocate resources to reduce homelessness in Santa Clara County and connect unhoused residents with services and housing.”
The most recent PIT count was conducted in January 2023 and found a total of 9,903 homeless individuals in Santa Clara County. That includes 1,862 people in Board of Supervisors District 1, which encompasses South County.
Volunteers for the PIT count will be organized into groups and go to various locations throughout the county to observe and interview unhoused residents, the county said. Previous experience is not necessary.
Each group of three to five volunteers will include experienced team members, the press release adds. Training is available for volunteers.
Volunteers with lived experience of homelessness will receive a $150 gift card each day they participate.
To sign up, visit santaclara.pointintime.info. Anyone with questions can email OS*****@hh*.org.
The City of Morgan Hill has also announced a call for volunteers for the 2025 PIT count. The city is also seeking donations for CARE kits that will be distributed to unhoused residents during the Jan. 22-23 count.
Anyone interested in volunteering and/or providing supplies for the CARE kits in Morgan HIll, can email the city’s Unhoused Specialist Brian Malicdem at br************@mo********.gov.
