Point-in-Time (PIT) Count and Housing Inventory Count (HIC)
About | Sheltered PIT | Unsheltered PIT | More PIT & HIC Resources
2026 PIT and HIC
The 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is the night of Monday, January 26, 2026.
Project Homeless Connect (PHC) events where communities supplement their Unsheltered PIT Count data collection will occur statewide on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
If you have questions about PIT or need support for the PIT Count in your community, email Holly Blood at holly@alaskahousing-homeless.org
About
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The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.
Sheltered PIT Count. HUD requires that Continuums of Care (CoCs) conduct an annual count of people experiencing homelessness who are sheltered in emergency shelter, transitional housing, and Safe Havens on a single night.
Unsheltered PIT Count. HUD requires CoCs to conduct counts of people in unsheltered locations at least every other year. Many CoCs conduct their counts by sampling parts of their jurisdiction and by using those samples to derive a full estimate of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
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The Housing Inventory Count (HIC) is a point-in-time inventory of provider programs within a Continuum of Care that provide beds and units dedicated to serve people experiencing homelessness (and, for permanent housing projects, where homeless at entry, per the HUD homeless definition). The HIC is categorized by five Program Types:
Emergency Shelter
Transitional Housing
Rapid Re-housing
Safe Haven
Permanent Supportive Housing
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Homeless population and service utilization data is a vital tool for successful strategic housing planning processes for state and local communities. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires the collection of Point in Time (PIT) Count and Housing Inventory Count (HIC) data for one night each year to assist in measuring the extent of homelessness within Alaska. This data is also used to advocate for federal and state funding to assist Alaska’s homeless. For the latest Point in Time Count data and links to other AKHMIS information, please visit our Data Page.
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AKCH2 organizes statewide efforts to complete a thorough and methodologically sound PIT count on an annual basis. Multiple local coalitions organize Project Homeless Connect (PHC) events during the PIT Count in an effort to connect as many individuals with services in their community.
Sheltered PIT Count
The Sheltered PIT Count Training is for data collection and data entry only for individuals and households who are experiencing sheltered homelessness. The training includes:
An overview of Sheltered Point-in-Time (PIT) Count and Housing Inventory Count (HIC) for Alaska Balance of State Communities.
Walkthrough of HMIS PIT and HIC reporting workflow (for existing AKHMIS users who will be running AKHMIS reports for your organization's annual Sheltered PIT Count).
Walkthrough of Sheltered PIT Portal Data Submissions (for users who will be submitting annual Sheltered PIT Count data into an external portal for aggregate Statewide reporting, which will be submitted to HUD. This does not have to be an AKHMIS user).
You can access additional information and materials on the ICA PIT & HIC Resources Page.
Unsheltered PIT Count
The 2026 Unsheltered PIT Count Virtual Training recording is available below.
The Unsheltered PIT Count Training is for data collection and data entry only for individuals and households who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
This training is for communities that conduct traditional Unsheltered Counts, and for communities that conduct Unsheltered Counts through Project Homeless Connect events.
This training includes:
An overview of Unsheltered Point-in-Time (PIT) Count for Alaska Balance of State Communities.
Walkthrough of Unsheltered PIT Portal Data Submissions (for users who will be submitting annual Unsheltered PIT Count data into an external portal for aggregate Statewide reporting, which will be submitted to HUD. This does not have to be an AKHMIS user).
Recorded Training Passcode: 27=BhtnF
More PIT & HIC Resources
For all training and PIT data collection resources, click here to access ICA’s PIT and HIC Resource Page.