HOUSING INVENTORY COUNT​ AND
POINT-IN-TIME COUNT

The Housing Inventory Count and the Homeless Point-in-Time Count are two complementary metrics that Housing First Solano uses to track basic information about the persons experiencing homelessness in Solano County. 

The Housing Inventory Count (HIC) is conducted every year to reflect the number of beds and units available to serve persons who are homeless. The HIC also tracks how many units are needed to serve persons experiencing homelessness in Solano County. HIC information is mainly collected through surveys to providers asking them about their capacity and occupancy rates.

The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count has two components: sheltered and unsheltered. The sheltered PIT count is conducted on an annual basis and counts the number of persons who are in emergency shelter or transitional housing. The sheltered PIT count also collects demographic information such as age, gender, length of time homeless, income, and housing history.​

The unsheltered PIT count counts the number of persons who are observed on the street. Housing First Solano does the unsheltered PIT count every two years. The unshletered PIT count has two phases. First, volunteers go out in teams and count the number of persons experiencing homelessness on the street. These teams are guided by navigators who are currently experiencing or recently experienced homelessness. Second, Housing First Solano recruits persons experiencing homelessness to go into the community and collect demographic survey information from persons on the streets. These two data sources are combined to create a report detailing the number of persons experiencing homelessness in Solano.

The unsheltered PIT count is a massive community undertaking that requires a great deal of coordination between service providers, community members, municipal entities, and persons experiencing homelessness. Housing First Solano thanks all of those who assist in this endeavor.

HUD requires each Continuum of Care (CoC) to conduct a biennial census of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness, known as the “Point-in-Time” (PIT) Count. The PIT Count is conducted on a single day/night during the last ten days of January, and is therefore not meant to represent the overall number of individuals who experience homelessness over the course of a year.

The 2024 Solano Point-in-Time Count is now available!​