ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Are you interested in helping people experiencing homelessness in Asheville?

The Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care is seeking volunteers for the annual Point-in-Time count, an annual survey conducted in the last 10 days of January that determines funding from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for the year.

A Point-in-Time count is often referred to as a “snapshot” of a region’s homeless population. Over one night, volunteers survey people staying in emergency shelters and transitional housing, or those who are unsheltered, sleeping outside or in other uninhabitable spaces. The survey tracks trends in unhoused demographics and provides data necessary for federal funding and local aid strategies.

“As the count reflects only a single night it is not an accurate picture of the entire population of people experiencing homelessness,” wrote City of Asheville Communication Specialist Kim Miller in a press release. “Still, it is currently the most comprehensive annual dataset available.”

The data from the 2024 Point-in-Time can be viewed here.

This year, the Point-in-Time count will be held Tuesday, Jan. 28 and Wednesday, Jan. 29 across Buncombe County:

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

  • Launch from the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Banquet Hall, 87 Haywood Street

  • Volunteers gather at 3:30 p.m.

  • Street canvassing occurs from 4 to 7 p.m.

  • Teams of two to three volunteers include at least one person with experience

  • Teams walk or drive to cover high-traffic areas and corridors of Buncombe County

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

  • Launch from the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Banquet Hall, 87 Haywood Street

  • Volunteers gather at 9:30 a.m.

  • Street canvassing of the same geographic areas from Tuesday night from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

  • Teams also gather information from service locations:

    • 7:45 to 11 a.m. – AHOPE Day Center

    • 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Haywood Street Congregation

    • 10 a.m. t0 2 p.m. – ABCCM Crisis Ministries in downtown Asheville, south Asheville, and Hominy Valley

  • Campsite outreach led by outreach professionals at various times

Interested volunteers can sign up to participate through this form.

“No prior experience is required and training will be provided ahead of the count,” Miller clarified in the release. “New this year: an optional in-person-only “Surveys in Practice” session will be held to provide space for volunteers to practice administering the surveys with other volunteers.”

For more information, visit the Continuum of Care website, www.ashevillenc.gov/projects/asheville-buncombe-continuum-of-care.