As winter officially arrived on Sunday, Dec. 21 and the weather taking a chilly turn, Stanislaus County is gearing up for its annual snapshot of homelessness in the region.

Who are the homeless in Stanislaus County? And how many people live without shelter in our community?

To answer these questions, Stanislaus County is preparing for a major effort to better understand homelessness through the 2026 Homeless Point-In-Time (PIT) Count, and county officials are looking for some volunteers to help out.

The PIT Count is an annual survey of individuals experiencing homelessness on local streets and in area shelters. The data is vital for accessing the scope of homelessness and determining the level of funding communities receive to support housing and services that help people transition to stable, independent living.

“Tracking and measuring our progress in addressing homelessness is essential to understanding how effective our programs are,” stated Maryn Pitt, Chair of the Community System of Care. “The annual PIT Count plays a vital role in this process. To cover the entire county in one day, it’s critical we have volunteers from across Stanislaus County. Their participation ensures we reach and interview as many people experiencing homelessness as possible. We urge you to join us and volunteer.”

The count is coordinated by the Stanislaus Community System of Care (CSOC), a coalition of local governments, non-profits, and homeless providers. Each year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires communities nationwide to conduct this count.

The 2026 PIT Count will take place Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. It provides a one-night snapshot of both unsheltered and sheltered individuals experiencing homelessness.

The countywide effort depends on the support of volunteers, who will work alongside the Stanislaus County Homeless Outreach and Engagement Team. Volunteers will help conduct surveys and distribute comfort kits – including socks and hygiene items – to those they meet.

The goal is to recruit 300 volunteers.

To participate, you can register at https://stanislaus.pointintime.info/ You’ll be asked to select a city where you’d like to volunteer. You can also register by calling (209) 558-2961, or e-mailing csoc@stancounty.com. The registration deadline is Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. After registering, you’ll need to complete a mandatory online training.

In the 2025 PIT Count, 2,086 homeless people experiencing homelessness were identified in Stanislaus County – a slight increase from 2,052 in 2024. For more information about CSOC and its work, visit www.csocstan.com.