Originally published via The Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting on April 9, 2024.
BY: Allison Beck and Julius Philp

On one night in January every year, hundreds of people gather in Love Park blasting pop music and eating french fries and chicken tenders from a brightly lit food truck.

They aren’t there for a party– they’re volunteers at the annual Point in Time Count, where volunteers fan out across the city to count how many people are living on the streets. Their totals are combined with shelter counts to gauge the city’s unhoused population.

The PIT Count is mandated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and is used by federal, state and local governments to help determine program success and funding for communities across the country.

But, advocates, experts and workers in the field don’t always see it as a fair barometer of homelessness.