LEWISTON — On one night every January all across the United States community members team with local agencies to complete a Point-in-Time (PIT) count of homeless individuals. A PIT count is completed by counting families, youth, veterans, senior citizens and others who are homeless.

This year’s count will be on the night of Tuesday, Jan. 23.

The information will provide a better understanding of the factors contributing to homelessness in communities and the number of people being affected. The information will help the state and local agencies in the work to end homelessness.

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has determined that the 2018 Point-in-Time count will be used as a benchmark to determine how many homeless and unstably-housed youth there are in the United States. Since homeless and unstably-housed youth have historically been undercounted, this is a critical year to improve the count in Maine.

Volunteers are needed from every town in the state to help complete surveys. There is already an infrastructure to count homeless families, adults and veterans in Maine; volunteers will be connected with people who are experienced in the process to help with the count.

FMI, volunteer: jdewitt@tcmhs.org; 207-783-4663, ext. 228.

April Chapman of Lewiston carries a sign that reads, “Everyone Should Have a Home,” during the Lewiston-Auburn Homeless Vigil on Dec. 21, 2016, in Lewiston. About 100 people marked National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day by walking on the winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. (Daryn Slover/Sun Journal file photo)