Volunteers and Public Input Needed for 2025 Virginia Beach Point-in-Time Count

Each year, during the early morning hours of one day in January, teams comprising Housing & Neighborhood Preservation staff and volunteers canvass the city to look for individuals who are living unsheltered. They walk up and down the boardwalk, trek through woods and drive around parking lots. When homeless individuals are found, the teams offer them an opportunity to receive resources and to be surveyed and assessed for services. 

This effort is part of the street count of the homeless population, known as the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count. It’s called Point-in-Time because it provides a snapshot of how many individuals were sheltered and unsheltered during a 24-hour period.  

As a recipient of federal funding for homelessness programs, Virginia Beach is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to conduct an unduplicated count of its homeless population. The Continuum of Care (CoC) addresses homelessness through a coordinated and community process of creating a system that effectively meets the needs of households experiencing homelessness. Each year, about $2 million in federal and state funds are awarded to the Virginia Beach CoC through a competitive grant application process to support the work of preventing and ending homelessness. 

Why is the PIT Count important? 

The PIT Count is a key indicator of a community’s progress toward addressing homelessness. In 2024, 311 sheltered and unsheltered individuals were counted in Virginia Beach, which is similar to the previous year’s count of 313 individuals. By comparison, the total in 2024 is 26% lower than 10 years ago, when 419 individuals were counted.  

Demographic information and other data collected during the PIT Count are also important to understanding the scope of homelessness, revealing trends and identifying opportunities to better address the needs of the population. For example, while the overall total of homeless individuals has decreased since 2015, the unsheltered count has increased by 43%. This may be attributed to additional impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as increased rents and loss of income causing people to lose their homes and the reluctance of unsheltered individuals to use communal shelter programs. The visibility of the unsheltered population also has increased.  

How can you help with the 2025 PIT Count? 

The City needs public input and volunteers as we prepare for the next PIT Count, scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 23. 

Provide Input on Locations for the Street Count 
The public can assist Housing & Neighborhood Preservation in identifying locations throughout the city where they have observed individuals living without shelter. It’s important to note that we’re asking for visual observations only.  

The City has a Homeless Outreach Team that finds and engages unsheltered individuals on an ongoing basis, assess their needs and offer connections to the homeless service system for available shelter and housing. 

This online map tool is intended to enhance the team’s efforts for PIT and to help ensure the count is as thorough as possible and that all unsheltered individuals have the opportunity to be included in the count and assessed for services. 

Signs that someone may be living unsheltered at a particular location include personal belongings left behind, a structure resembling a bed is present, or the person has seen there on multiple occasions.  

Locations can be submitted through an online map tool from a mobile device or computer at SpeakUpVB.com through Dec. 1.   

For more information about providing locations for the Homeless Outreach Team, call 757-385-5165. 

Volunteer to Help Count and Survey Individuals 
The department is also seeking volunteers to assist with the street count portion of PIT, 3:30-7 a.m. on Jan. 23. Volunteers will join staff in finding unsheltered individuals, administering the survey and distributing resources. PIT volunteers must be at least 18 years old and attend training. To volunteer, register online by Dec. 20 at VirginiaBeach.gov/PITVolunteer.   

For more ways to give help and join the community effort on making homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring in Virginia Beach, visit BEACHCommunityPartnership.org.