Overview: The Point in Time Count is an annual effort to estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness across Knoxville-Knox County. This information is critical to understanding the experience of all neighbors across the community. We have adapted the PIT count survey to help fill in key gaps, so that community partners from across the region can better understand the local landscape of unsheltered homelessness.
See the reports from 2024, 2025, and 2026 (coming soon).
Each year a successful count requires extensive partner, volunteer, and community engagement. We had over 50 volunteers help support the 2026 Point in Time Count, with over 15 partner organizations represented. The local planning process is spearheaded by a Steering Committee with administrative and logistics support from the Office of Housing Stability.
Planning will be starting in late August for the 2027 PIT Count. Consider being a part of the CoC PIT Steering Committee, and helping to lead the administration and planning of the count. Reach out to Arielle.benson@knoxtnhousing.org for more information, or if you already know you are interested in joining the effort. We are always looking for new voices to join in making the count effective and meaningful.
There are no minimum requirements to be a part of the planning team, only interest and your participation!
Want to volunteer in 2027?! We will be using the Volunteer East TN platform to coordinate - check out our landing page and sign up to be notified when new opportunities are posted. These will get updated a couple of months in advance - mid-November, to allow time for coordination and training.
Register now to make sure to get important updates for January 2027 as the planning gets underway.
After the count was concluded this January, we conducted a survey with volunteers. We wanted to know how to make the count more engaging and effective for them, and for participants.
We gained valuable insights that we will be bringing forth into the planning process for 2027, including:
HUD Annual Homelessness Assessment Reports (accumulative national Point in Time Count and Housing Inventory Count data)
Point in Time Count methodology guide (HUD’s guide on how to conduct a successful count)