PIT Count Finds Michigan’s Homeless

On Monday, January 30, we sent seven teams of employees from across Community Housing Network to conduct the Point-in-Time (PIT) count in Southeastern Michigan. The Point-in-Time (PIT) count is a “snapshot” count of people experiencing homelessness on a single night. In Oakland County the Alliance for Housing, the local Continuum of Care, organizes and coordinates the PIT count.

All departments across the agency participated, including programming, accounting, operations, IT, and the leadership team.

We view the PIT count as an opportunity—a way for our employees to come together and connect to our mission, to witness homelessness on our streets, and to grow in our understanding of our purpose. The information we gather informs our services and programming.

This year, the PIT count included homeless individuals who are “sheltered” and those that are “unsheltered.” People experiencing unsheltered homelessness are those staying in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, transit stations, or any other place not meant for human habitation.

The information gathered during the PIT count is the main source of data used by the federal government to determine federal funding allocations to address homelessness. Communities and organizations that receive federal funding from The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) participate in the count.

In addition, although it isn’t the expressed purpose of the PIT count, when we speak with people experiencing homelessness, we provide information about warming centers, offer to coordinate transportation, provide care packages, and distribute referral notes for additional services.

While participating in the PIT count each year is one way we address the problem of chronic homelessness, we also have a team at CHN dedicated to canvassing our local communities to find people in need of our services on an ongoing basis. Our Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) team provides street outreach services in Oakland and Macomb counties to canvas, locate, and communicate with our most vulnerable community members to connect them with housing as well as resources and supports.

Learn more about our PATH team by clicking here. If you have concerns about someone you know or someone you see who is experiencing homelessness, Community Housing Network offers a wide range of services that may help. The best way to contact us is to send an email to HRC@chninc.net or visit the Get Help page on our website here.