HIGH COUNTRY — Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, marks the annual homeless Point-in-Time Count. The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, coordinated by the Northwest N.C. Continuum of Care (CoC), is the annual documentation of the extent of homelessness in the High Country region, which includes Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties. The information from the PIT Count provides valuable insight into the extent of homelessness in the region and informs support service providers on the priorities to prevent and end homelessness.
Point-in-Time data is important as it provides an approximate scope of homelessness in the seven-county region and helps eligible agencies in the Northwest N.C. CoC apply for funding to work towards ending homelessness. PIT data is submitted each year by the Northwest N.C. CoC to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) who then submits the report to U.S. Congress in its AHAR (Annual Homeless Assessment Report) each December.
The PIT Count is a one-day unduplicated count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals and families across the nation. The Point-in-Time Count is a requirement of HUD, which currently supports the Northwest N.C. CoC member agencies annually in competitive grant funding. Programs that have beds dedicated to serve homeless individuals and families also conduct a bed inventory for the Housing Inventory Count (HIC)…