Since 2021, Lane County's Continuum of Care has applied for and received a waiver to utilize a revised Homeless by Name List for the Point in Time Count. The results, while slightly higher than in previous years, were determined to be more accurate and complete by service providers, homeless advocates, other stakeholders in the community, and analysts reviewing the data. The count has likely been higher since 2021 using this method because 1) The Lane County Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is comprehensive and captures most of the service transaction activity provided to people experiencing homelessness; and 2) Increased street outreach staffing and geographic coverage have resulted in more individuals engaged in services.

While our HBNL data is robust, HMIS does not provide an exact count of all individuals experiencing homelessness in our community.  On the day of the PIT count, Lane County will use outreach workers to administer surveys in areas where individuals are less likely to have engaged in services. We are working with law enforcement, forest management, public works, and other community stakeholders to identify locations where outreach workers will ask individuals to complete a survey. Special attention will be focused on rural areas where there are fewer service providers, and community locations where individuals may go during the day including libraries. Additionally, Lane County will be conducting targeted outreach, as well as hosting magnet events, to survey young people under age 25 on the day of the count as part of our Youth PIT Count strategies.

Any unsheltered individuals who complete a survey and are not already included on our HBNL will be included in our final PIT count.