Howard County’s Department of Community Resources and Services (DCRS) will conduct its annual Point In Time (PIT) Count on Thursday, Jan. 24, from 8 p.m. to midnight, to estimate the number of homeless or unstably housed individuals in Howard County.
Six teams, comprised of DCRS staff and volunteers, will walk pre-defined trails throughout major areas of the county to locate individuals who are living in emergency shelters and motels, living outdoors or living in cars or other places not meant for long-term human habitation.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires all communities to conduct a PIT count on a single night during the last week of January each year. The information is used to establish the dimensions of the problem of homelessness and to help policymakers and program administrators track progress toward the goal of making homelessness rare, brief and non-reoccurring in the county.
New this year, a Howard County Counts Resource Fair will be held prior to the PIT Count, from 3 to 7 p.m. at DCRS’ office, located at 9830 Patuxent Woods Drive, Columbia. Free hairstyles and haircuts, clothing giveaways for adults and children, and free food and beverages will also be available. For more information, visit www.howardcountymd.gov/HoCoCounts, call Keisha Benjamin at 410-313-6400 or email [email protected].