ECHO in need of volunteers for 2025 homelessness count in Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Registration is now open for anyone wanting to volunteer for the 2025 Point in Time (PIT) Count, and the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) said it hopes to see volunteers who have participated in previous counts, the foundation said in a news release.

ECHO said it needs around 50 more team leads and "hundreds more general volunteers" for the January count.

The Austin/Travis County PIT Count is happening overnight on Jan. 25, 2025, and will end in the morning on Jan. 26, the release said. The count is "a one-night survey of people experiencing homelessness" according to ECHO.

Those who volunteer can expect to work with hundreds of members who will administer the survey. They will also provide "light supplies" to those who live in camps, their vehicles, abandoned buildings and other places not considered a place to live, the release said.

ECHO said the more volunteers they get, the better chance they have at finding exactly how many people are unhoused in the area.

In the past, the foundation said the process could be an undercount, so the organization began working with local outreach groups to get more accurate data. It then reported to the U.S. Department of House and Urban Development every other year, the foundation said.

Volunteers can register now on the ECHO website.