CHICAGO – This evening, Mayor Brandon Johnson will meet with the Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS) Homeless Outreach and Prevention (HOP) team, volunteers, and City leaders for the kickoff of the 2024 Point-In-Time (PIT) Count, the annual snapshot of the number of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in Chicago.

“The PIT Count is a critical annual initiative that informs our data-driven approach to addressing the homelessness crisis in this city,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “I’ve long said that housing is a human right. This year’s count will give us a snapshot of the number of Chicagoans who are currently being denied that right and help us forge a path forward to address their needs."

On the night of the Count, trained City staff, homeless service organizations, and volunteers conduct a tally and survey of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in both sheltered sites and individuals currently living on the streets or other places not meant for human habitation in Chicago. Similar to last year, the 2024 PIT Count will include both non-asylum-seeking individuals and families and asylum-seekers as part of the Count.

“I want to thank all of the DFSS staff, volunteers, and community partners who are part of conducting this year’s count,” said DFSS Commissioner Brandie Knazze. “The PIT Count is our opportunity to reach out to some of Chicago’s most vulnerable residents as part of the City’s efforts to combat homelessness and address our city’s housing crisis.”

The Sheltered PIT Count will take place from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and will cover all emergency shelters, Safe Havens, and transitional housing programs in Chicago, including the temporary shelters that have been stood up as part of the New Arrivals Mission.  The Unsheltered PIT Count will be conducted from 10:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. by around 275 service provider staff and trained volunteers across the city. Over 150 volunteers will take off from five geographic hubs across the city to conduct the Unsheltered PIT Count.

At 9:30 p.m., Mayor Johnson will meet HOP team members, volunteers, and City leadership at the Department of Family and Support Services Command Center at 1615 W. Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60622 before they depart for the Unsheltered PIT Count at 10:00 p.m.

During the Count, teams of social workers, service professionals, and trained volunteers will be providing hats, gloves, socks, and PPE to any individuals that they encounter. Unsheltered individuals will also be offered to be connected with shelter and other services such as medical care or substance use treatment by outreach teams.

DFSS will lead the execution and data analysis of the PIT Count. Each year, the City of Chicago uses the PIT data to obtain federal funding for homelessness services and to inform service needs and the allocation of resources for housing. The PIT Count provides the City and its partners with a better understanding of the demographics of the current population and subpopulations experiencing homelessness and raises public awareness about homelessness and its historical trends in Chicago.

The PIT Count sets out to capture a snapshot of homelessness in Chicago in a single night. It does not purport to capture all Chicagoans experiencing homelessness throughout the year. The PIT Count is one tool that the City uses to gather and analyze data to find effective strategies to combat homelessness in Chicago.

The following agencies are participating or partnering in this year’s Unsheltered PIT Count: 

DFSS works alongside the University of Illinois-Chicago Voorhees Center to clean and analyze the data collected. All information from the PIT Count is shared with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Results are then presented to the City’s local Continuum of Care and partners who support the implementation of the Count. A one-pager for last year’s results can be found here.

DFSS, in partnership with All Chicago and other City partners like Chicago Public Libraries (CPL), has made important strides to improve participation and scale up this year’s Youth Count. The Youth Count is a supplemental part of the PIT Count that focuses on the number of youth (those under 25) experiencing homelessness or in unstable housing situations. The Youth Count will take place from Thursday, January 25th through Tuesday, January 30th in an effort to understand more about the unique experiences and needs of youth experiencing homelessness or unstable housing.

If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness, please connect with the Department of Family and Support Services. For the Homelessness Prevention Call Center: Call 311 and ask for “Short-term Help.” For Citywide shelter placement and transport: Call 311 and ask for shelter.