Point In Time Overview
The Point In Time is a biennial count and survey of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness on a given night during the last ten days in January. The count provides vital information that helps the County of Orange (County) and the Orange County Continuum of Care (CoC) better understand homelessness in the community and guides the way the County, CoC, and its partners respond to homelessness in Orange County. In 2019, the County of Orange launched Everyone Counts OC to support the effort.
The County of Orange and Orange County Continuum of Care will conduct the sheltered count the night of Monday, January 26, 2026, and the unsheltered count starting the morning of Tuesday, January 27, 2026 through Thursday, January 29, 2026.
To learn more about Point In Time requirements as established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development please visit the Point In Time and Housing Inventory Count Guidelines Website.
Why Mapping Matters
In partnership with street outreach agencies, homeless service providers, local experts, including law enforcement agencies and people with lived experience of homelessness, the County of Orange contracted with City Net to compile geographical data on hotspot locations for the 2026 Point In Time Count maps. Maps will be created for each city and Service Planning Area of Orange County and will guide where volunteers are deployed to canvas and survey people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
The Orange County geographical region will be canvassed at least two times by teams composed of one Team Captain and two to three Field Surveyors. Surveying teams will deploy from one of six geographically appropriate Deployment Centers that will be active between January 27 - 29, 2026.
About the County of Orange’s 2026 Contracted Providers
The County of Orange has contracted with local service providers and non-profit organizations to coordinate and facilitate the 2026 Point In Time Count. The contracted organizations include City Net, Hub for Urban Initiatives, and 2-1-1 Orange County.
