Maine’s 2022 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is taking place on the night of January 25, 2022, with Service Based follow-up days on the 26th, 27th, and 28th. The Point-in-Time is an attempt to count and collect some basic information about everyone experiencing homelessness on one night of the year.
The most challenging part of the PIT Count is connecting with those who are Unsheltered – in ‘encampments’, sleeping in tents, in their cars, in abandoned buildings, or literally on the streets. We need volunteers from local service providers throughout the state to help us organize teams to conduct PIT surveys on the night of the count, and at Service Based locations in the days following.
Please visit the www.mainepit.org site for more information, and complete the Volunteer form if you are able to help with the count. The site also has copies of the Survey forms you can print and use for the count, and instructions and Training Videos – everyone who will be helping to conduct the Unsheltered Count will be required to watch the Training Videos – there is a lot you need to know, not just about the forms, but about keeping yourself, and those you will be interviewing, safe.
While the focus is on that one night, there is a good deal of preparation that must be done ahead of time: determining where unsheltered people might be found; organizing teams to conduct surveys on the night of the count; collecting and distributing any information or materials you plan to make available to those who are counted; establishing locations where the Service Based portion of the count will take place and who will provide coverage there; and raising awareness of the Point-in-Time, and homelessness in general, in your communities through local newspapers, flyers, discussions at meeting, agency websites, etc.
Please complete the Volunteer form if you and/or your agency are interested in helping with the Unsheltered Point-in-Time Count so we can add you to our contact list. And please start talking with other stakeholders in your area and begin planning together. If you have any questions, we can be reached at .
Thanks!