SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Sacramento County's 2024 homeless Point-In-Time Count is approaching and volunteer training opportunities open up in the coming weeks—with a new phone app playing a crucial role.
The Sacramento Steps Forward and Sacramento Continuum of Care groups are organizing the count.
Volunteers interested in canvasing for the PIT Count can download the 'Counting Us' app to their smartphone and it will connect them to the central command station during surveying for live data review.
It's the first homeless PIT Count since February 2022 and it's meant to give data to local and federal leaders so they can allocate resources properly. The full 2022 report can be viewed here.
The 2022 PIT Count found that Sacramento's unhoused population on a given night has risen by 67% between 2019 and 2022. They estimated that between 16,500 and 20,000 people throughout the year.
How to volunteer
Residents wanting to volunteer for the count are encouraged to register for one of the live 90-minute Zoom trainings held by Sacramento Steps Forward. Here are the live training registrations:
- Click here to register for the Jan. 10, 2024 training from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Click here to register for the Jan. 17, 2024 training from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- A virtual recording with a quiz will be available if you miss both prior trainings.
Sacramento Steps Forward is a nonprofit and lead agency for coordinating the county's housing services for homeless residents—with $29 million dedicated to maintaining housing for disabled and long-time homeless residents.
There are the office hours for volunteers with additional questions:
- Thursday, January 11, 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. | Registration
- Monday, January 22, 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. | Registration
County officials will be consulting research and methodology from a new consultant, Simtech Solutions.
The PIT Count takes place on two nights, Jan. 24 and 25 between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m., and volunteers will meet at the Sacramento State Harper Alumni Center. Satellite locations will also be in Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Folsom and Citrus Heights.
WATCH MORE: California Homelessness: How nearly $10 billion has been spent across the state.
