LYNN — The Housing Inventory Count (HIC) and Point-in-Time (PIT) count is an annual, census-like count of all persons experiencing homelessness within a geographic area. Counting and interviewing people sleeping in unsheltered locations during the winter months can provide a more precise count of people who are unable or unwilling to access emergency shelter or other crisis response assistance. A count on one of the coldest nights of the year can be very effective in raising public awareness of the challenges faced by homeless people without shelter.
These counts are important local benchmarks that help measure changes in need at the population and subpopulation level. PIT counts are a critical way of interacting with people experiencing homelessness, often including service engagement or provision of needed supplies, and understanding the scope of the issue, so that Continuums of Care (CoC’s) can strategically plan on how to end homelessness in their communities.
This year, the count will be from Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. through Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. Lynn Shelter Association’s Street Outreach Team, in collaboration with the LCoC’s Strategic Outreach Committee, will conduct brief interviews with people who might be experiencing homelessness in completion of a survey, or observation tool if a survey or interview is not possible, using the Counting Us app from Simtech Solutions. This ensures that the entire CoC geography is canvassed and that people experiencing homelessness are connected to much needed resources.
If you know of someone experiencing unsheltered homelessness in the City of Lynn and would like to share their location so that they may be contacted by the Street Outreach Team to be counted and connected to support, email [email protected] by Jan. 21.
