Hundreds of volunteers are needed for the countywide 2025 Homeless Point-In-Time Count, 5:30-9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22.

The Point-In-Time Count is the annual count of individuals and families experiencing homelessness on a given day.

The count is put on by the Santa Maria/Santa Barbara County Continuum of Care (CoC), in partnership with Santa Barbara County and the Santa Barbara Alliance for Community Transformation (SBACT).

Teams of volunteers will canvas assigned routes throughout Santa Barbara County and will briefly document who is experiencing homelessness. The information is used to plan local homeless assistance systems, justify funding, and raise public awareness.

All volunteers are required to attend a one-hour training session where they will learn more about the importance of the count; review canvassing best practices; explore the Point-In-Time survey tool; go through frequently asked questions and more.

To make the training accessible, online trainings are offered on varied days and times Jan. 14-17. Only one training is required.

To volunteer for the Point-In-Time count, sign up at https://countyofsb.pointintime.info/. Volunteers can register as individuals or in teams.

The final day to sign up to volunteer is Jan. 17. Spanish training is available upon request, email pit@sbact.org by Jan. 13.
 
“The Point-in-Time Count results affect everything from homelessness services offered to how much funding is available,” said Matthew Rector, Housing Program specialist senior with the county Community Services Department.

“It is important we have an accurate count, and we cannot do that without the help of many volunteers,” he said. “Homelessness is a community-wide problem, and it requires a community-wide solution,”
 
The Point-In-Time count is only possible with a community-wide effort by the incredible support of many volunteers and partners.