Why the Point-in-Time Count Can’t Fully Measure Homelessness — and Why That Matters for Public Understanding and Policy
This week, as volunteers across the country prepare to count people sleeping outside in the middle of the night, the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count will once again attempt to measure homelessness on a single evening in January.
Those numbers will eventually appear in headlines and reports as the “official” measure of homelessness. But the national data from January 2025 still hasn’t been released, and the full summary from this year’s count likely won’t be published until late 2026 or early 2027. By the time the public sees the results, the picture they describe is already out of date.
What the PIT Count Measures — and What It Doesn’t
For years now, experts have criticized the Point-in-Time Count for being inaccurate. It’s important to understand that the PIT count captures a moment in time, not the full scope of homelessness.
In an exclusive interview with John Berry, National President of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, we take a closer look at what the Point-in-Time count does — and doesn’t — capture.
“It’s important to recognize that the PIT count is just one data point – and a limited one,” Berry said. “Because it’s conducted on a single night, it inevitably misses many people who are experiencing homelessness in less visible ways: those sleeping in cars, doubling up with relatives, couch-surfing, or staying temporarily in motels.”
Berry also pointed out that homeless people in hospitals, jails, or institutions are often left out of the count. That omission alone creates a significant undercount.
“While the PIT count is useful for tracking trends, a more comprehensive understanding of homelessness requires year-round data and sustained investment in local outreach and services,” he continued.
That limitation becomes easier to understand when you look at how people experiencing homelessness move, adapt, and stay out of sight.
Why the PIT Count Misses So Many People
Berry points out that many homeless people are trying to avoid being seen. Some are sleeping in cars, doubling up with friends or family, or moving to a different location to stay safe. This is even more likely on frigid nights when staying outside is dangerous and life-threatening.
“In many areas, encampments are cleared just before the PIT count occurs, displacing people and making them even harder to locate,” Berry said. “Others are incarcerated or hospitalized that night and left out of the data altogether. These circumstances can result in an undercount that obscures the true extent of the crisis.”
Berry suggests that it’s important we pair the PIT data with information from lived-experience experts, outreach reports, and year-round data sources to build a more complete picture of homelessness, enabling better policy solutions. But even when we fill in those gaps, the PIT count still can’t answer a more fundamental question.
The PIT Count Can’t Tell Us Why People Become Homeless
While the PIT count is an important national effort, especially regarding raising public awareness, connecting with the unhoused community, and highlighting the scale of housing insecurity, the data gathered does not answer the question of why or how people become homeless. It does not address the impact of rising rents, utilities, and basic necessities. At some point, these rising costs jeopardize housing stability, especially for elderly and disabled populations.
“I personally know a retired veteran who worked his whole life, raised a family, and did everything right. But he never had enough money to build up a nest egg for the future. Everything they had went to living day-to-day. Now he’s in grave danger of becoming homeless because the rent and utilities costs are getting unmanageable, and he has no family left to take him in or help him out. Without SVdP, he’d be on the street,” Berry said. “That is simply not right. And unfortunately, stories like his are not rare. They’re just rarely told. The more we listen and learn, the better we’ll lead.”
Homelessness Is Closer to Home Than Most People Think
“I wish more people understood that homelessness is not ‘them’ — it’s us. It’s veterans, seniors, single moms, kids, and yes, people with degrees and decades of work experience,” Berry said. “Homelessness is something that can happen to anyone, especially when systems fail – and the public should demand that we fix those systems, not punish the people trapped inside them.”
“I invite any elected official or citizen who struggles to understand this to spend time with us. Visit a local Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Talk to our volunteers and the people we serve. Walk in their shoes. Because the only way to make better policy is to start with better understanding,” he concluded.
What This One Night of Counting Actually Looks Like
Across the country this week, thousands of volunteers will walk streets, shelters, and encampments in the middle of the night, often in freezing temperatures, attempting to locate people who may be sleeping in cars or doubling up with others.
In New York City, volunteers will canvass neighborhoods between 10 pm and 4 am as part of the city’s Hope Survey. In San Diego County, officials say it will take nearly 1,700 volunteers to complete the count in just four hours before sunrise. Los Angeles has introduced digital mapping to help volunteers track areas more efficiently.
These examples offer a glimpse into how complex and challenging this effort is — and why a single night of counting can never fully capture the scope of homelessness.