What is the Point in Time Count:
Each year, homeless networks around the country are required by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to conduct a census of who is homeless on the last Wednesday in January. This census is called the Point-in-Time Count (PIT Count). This count surveys individuals who are homeless on one single night. Although a majority of people who are experiencing homelessness are sleeping in temporary shelters, our Continuum of Care must be sure we count as many people as possible. That is why outreach staff and volunteers go out and speak to people who are spending the night outdoors or in other places not meant for human habitation.
The PIT Count is a community-wide effort that provides an opportunity for residents and local businesses to learn about people who are experiencing homelessness, gain an understanding of the resources available, and actively contribute to the County’s efforts to address homelessness in Muskegon. The Point in Time Count is vital in determining the scope of homelessness, defining existing resources available, and identifying gaps to better serve these community members.
Logistics:
Date: Wednesday, January 29th, 2025
Times: Volunteer Report 7:00 PM | Dispatched to the field by 7:30 PM | Volunteering ending at 11:00 PM or Later
- Why so late? - The unhoused population is very transient. Volunteering starts at night because it allows us to ensure that they are settled into their temporary shelter space and that they will not be double-counted.
Location | Volunteer Report Station: United Way of the Lakeshore | 31 E. Clay St. Muskegon, MI
- Each team will be given a field map. The map includes plotted locations – including encampments, parks, alleys, underpasses, and service locations - where homeless people have been previously encountered/observed. Each team is then ‘deployed’ to canvass their assigned mapped area, using the plotted locations as starting points. Some less dense areas can be canvassed by car, but a majority will be on foot.
How to Get Involved:
Volunteer Requirements:
Be 18 years or older or 13 years or older with parent/guardian present for the duration of your shift.
Accurately and carefully collect data and keep information confidential
Respectfully and conscientiously work with people from a diversity of backgrounds
Maintain personal safety while collecting data (travel in pairs)
Volunteers surveying on the street need to be able to stand and walk for up to 1 to 2 miles or up to 3 hours.
Training:
To prepare volunteers for this important work, the CoC requires a one-hour orientation that will educate canvassers on best practices to engage people experiencing homelessness, how to use the survey to administer the Count, and the logistics of the Count itself. Volunteer orientations are mandatory, regardless of prior participation in the Count, and will be hosted on the following days and times:
Tuesday, Jan. 23 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 24 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Volunteer Job Descriptions:
Survey Volunteer: Survey volunteers survey individuals on the street, in shelters and at service locations. Survey volunteers will work in assigned teams of 3-4 people under the leadership of a team lead with each team given a mapped area to canvass. Team members will conduct the PIT Count Survey with homeless persons they meet during their canvassing. Whenever possible, the volunteer team will include at least one person with experience working with homeless people and/or past count volunteer experience.
Survey Team Leader: Team leaders carry out all duties of a Survey Volunteer, but also take on additional responsibilities regarding the safety and coordination of a team of volunteers. Additional Responsibilities include:
- Act as main point of contact/spokesperson
- Carry a mobile phone to communicate with CoC Coordinator and HQ staff
- Contact 911 for injuries/incidents. Contact CoC Coordinator and HQ staff for injuries/incidents
- Responsible for provision of incentive bags
- Provide CoC Coordinator with all street count forms at the end of count
- Return Surveyor Supply Kit, incentive bags, and other supplies to CoC Coordinator
- Have a car with space to transport a team of 3-4 people
- Able to drive and has a clean Michigan driving record
- Be at least 18 years old
Ideally, Team Leaders should have experience working with individuals who are homeless and/or vulnerable populations; however, this is not a requirement.
Service-Based Survey Volunteer (AFTER THE COUNT): Service-based Survey Volunteers will be placed at various social service locations or other public or private locations to identify people who were unsheltered, but not counted, on the night of the count. Service-based counts are conducted at locations frequented by people who are homeless, including soup kitchens, day shelters, libraries, and other community locations and include interviews to determine whether people were unsheltered on the night of the count, as well as their characteristics.
This Point in Time Survey is being conducted by the Homeless Continuum of Care.
The Muskegon County Homeless Continuum of Care Network (MCHCCN) is a collaborative and coordinating system that increases awareness and acts to promote and support services to eradicate homelessness in Muskegon County.
In order to achieve this mission, the MCHCCN will:
- Include in its membership agencies, governmental entities, organizations, foundations, funding groups and others that will support and cooperate with each other working as a community to eradicate homelessness.
- Advocate for the homeless and those at risk of homelessness.
- Survey and analyze the needs of the homeless in Muskegon County in order to better identify and serve this population.
- Expand and coordinate available resources locally and through State and Federal sources.
- Identify and support housing solutions (shelters, transitional housing, permanent housing, supportive housing, and available existing private housing) as a key component in the eradication of the homeless.
- The MCHCCN does not favor one membership over another and is a system which captures the needs and perspectives of all of its members in order to identify the gaps to preventing and ending homelessness in our community. MCHCCN operates in accordance with its By-Laws and the standards developed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Michigan State Housing and Development Authority (MSHDA)
