In light of the recent surge of COVID-19 cases, the federal government has authorized the county to postpone the annual Point-In-Time Count (PITC) of unsheltered homeless individuals until February 24.
“The health and safety of our community, those experiencing homelessness, and PITC volunteers is of utmost importance to San Bernardino County,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman.
San Bernardino County was one of many homeless Continuums of Care throughout California seeking approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to briefly postpone this year’s count, which had been scheduled for January 27.
The county typically collects data from people experiencing homelessness in unsheltered and sheltered locations during the annual PITC within the last 10 days of January as mandated by HUD. The count and survey are critical to secure government and private grant funding as well as other resources for local communities to assist individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
While ensuring the safety of volunteers and participants had been at the forefront of planning efforts well before the Omicron surge, the county will implement heightened safety measures when the count takes place in February based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- All volunteers will be provided with a KN95 mask.
- All hygiene kits distributed during the unsheltered count will contain KN95 masks and hand sanitizer.
The Office of Homeless Services will continue to seek volunteers for the PITC on Feb. 24. Volunteer registration can be found on https://wp.sbcounty.gov/dbh/sbchp/ under announcements. Volunteers that have already registered will receive notification from the city in which they registered to participate and will be kept informed of any changes to training or participation.
The annual PITC is coordinated by the San Bernardino County Community Revitalization Office of Homeless Services (OHS) in conjunction with the San Bernardino County Homeless Partnership and is designed to provide invaluable data on homeless individuals and families within the county on a given day and time.
If you have questions regarding the count or registration, please call (909) 501-0617 or email Claudia Doyle at claudia.doyle@hss.sbcounty.gov.
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