The Homelessness Housing and Assistance Act (ESSHB 2163 - 2005) requires each county to conduct an annual count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons in Washington State (See RCW 43.185C.030). As follows, each January the Pierce County Continuum of Care conducts a one-night survey of people experiencing homelessness in our community that takes place in homeless shelters, food banks, hot meal sites, and known homeless encampments.

The annual homeless survey provides those who are working to eliminate homelessness with critical information about this population in general, and provides specific insights into the lives of those who are unsheltered, a subpopulation of the homeless who are likely to be the most unknown to social service providers. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) notes that “unsheltered homeless people are an important subpopulation of homeless persons and their characteristics and needs must be accommodated within any strategy to reduce homelessness and help eliminate chronic homelessness. Collecting good baseline data about this subpopulation is essential to understanding the causes of homelessness, and to designing effective responses.”