Baltimore City's Mayor's Office of Homeless Services is in the process of planning for our annual Homeless Point-in-Time (PIT) count which will take place this January, and are in need of volunteers to help! The PIT Count is an important service engagement and data collection strategy that helps to advance The Journey Home, Baltimore’s plan to end homelessness. The PIT helps Baltimore to identify individuals, families, and youth experiencing homelessness and connect them to much needed housing and support services. It also helps the Mayor’s Office to gather important data on the needs and characteristics of people experiencing homelessness. This information is used to inform community planning and the development of effective interventions to end homelessness in Baltimore. During the week of January 27, 2019, volunteers are needed to canvass neighborhoods, hospitals, service provider’s locations, and other places that people experiencing homelessness can be found in Baltimore to administer surveys to individuals experiencing homelessness. There are 3 ways volunteers can get involved: Street Count Small groups of volunteers will be led by an experienced homeless service provider in canvassing streets and outdoor locations to survey individuals experiencing homelessness. This shift takes place from 5pm to 11pm on Sunday, January 27th, and 6:30pm to 11pm on Monday, January 28th. Volunteers must be available for both nights. On the first night of the street count, volunteers will receive training and dinner. Daytime Site-Based Count Small groups of volunteers will be led by an experienced homeless service provider in surveying individuals at community sites such as the Beans and Bread Center or Paul’s Place. These shifts take place each day from 9am-2pm, Monday January 28th to Wednesday January 30th. Site-based volunteers will attend a webinar training on Tuesday January 17th from 3pm-5pm. The webinar will be recorded for volunteers who cannot attend live. You will receive a registration link for the webinar a week before the training. Leader Positions Service providers, individuals with PIT count experience, or those interested in taking on more of a leadership role can volunteer to be a team leader for either the 2-night street count on Sunday, January 27th, and Monday, January 28th or at a daytime site-based location during Monday January 28th to Wednesday January 30th Team Leaders will receive a more detailed, in-person training and will lead teams of 5-7 volunteers during the count. All interested volunteers may sign up on our registration page: baltimorepitcount2019.eventbrite.com