On a cold night in January, a small army of volunteers will deploy across Collin County to determine how many neighbors do not have a place to live.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sponsors annual Point-in-Time (PIT) and Housing Inventory Counts (HIC) to help communities understand the extent of homelessness, changing trends and the measure of their success in mitigating homelessness. 

This year’s survey will be made the night of Thursday, Jan. 25, and the enumerators need your help.

“We recruit hundreds of volunteers each year to conduct the count,” said Sara Craig, vice president of development and communications for Housing Forward. “For 21 years we have been the lead agency for homelessness in Dallas and Collin Counties,” she said. 

Formerly Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, Housing Forward collaborates with the All Neighbors Coalition, more than 140 organizations providing critical resources and support directly to individuals, veterans, youth and families experiencing homelessness.

“It’s OK if folks have never volunteered before,” Craig said. There is online training, a kickoff meeting the night of the count and a downloadable phone application that walks volunteers through the process of engaging with their unhoused neighbors.

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