West Central Minnesota Continuum of Care
Working together to make homelessness rare, brief, and one-time.
Point-in-Time & Housing Inventory Counts
The Point-in-Time (PIT) count identifies who is unsheltered and who is staying in emergency shelter and transitional housing beds on a single night. The Housing Inventory Count (HIC) is an inventory of homeless units and beds available and dedicated to persons who are homeless during a single night. Together, the PIT and HIC assess system capacity and usage during a single point in time.
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This year, the PIT and HIC will count who is homeless and inventory regional homeless beds for the night of
January 28th!
Point-in-Time Count
The PIT collects the number and characteristics of persons who meet the HUD definition of homelessness on a single night. The PIT includes both a sheltered (counting those shelter or transitional programs) and unsheltered count (counting those living outside or in places not meant for human habitation). Basically, the PIT tells us how many people do not have shelter and how many are staying shelter.
Who is included in the PIT?
Sheltered: Persons utilizing dedicated emergency shelter, motel voucher, overflow/winter shelter, domestic violence/safe homes, and transitional housing programs.
Unsheltered: Persons sleeping in a location not meant for residence including those staying in vehicles, outside, sheds, barns, fish houses, entry ways, buses, parks, tents, dilapidated homes, or similar.
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Hosing Inventory Count
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What programs are included in the Housing Inventory Count? All programs that have units or beds designed specifically to serve persons who are homeless including emergency shelter, domestic violence, motel voucher, transitional housing, rapid-rehousing, or other permanent housing.
Who should NOT be counted!
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Persons temporarily staying with family or friends (i.e., “doubled-up” or “couch surfing”).
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Persons residing in institutions (e.g., jails, juvenile correction facilities, foster care, hospital beds, detox centers) unless being discharged on the day of the count without other housing.
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Unsheltered Volunteer Training
Volunteer Instructions
PIT Survey-paper
MN HMIS PIT page
PIT Live - Test site - 2026
PIT Poster - WC CoC
Youth Count Poster - WC CoC Poster 1
Youth Count Training PP
Unsheltered Training PP
Youth Count - paper copy
Youth count - online survey
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Anyone who knows of a homeless Veteran is encouraged to call 1-888-LinkVet (546-5838). Veterans can choose to join directly and anyone can refer a Veteran to join by completing the release of information form.
Authorized users may log-in to the Registry here.