The NC-516 Northwest North Carolina Continuum of Care (CoC) has petitioned the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for an exception to the last 10 days in January 2026 PIT counting standard. The CoC indicated the need to move their count due to severe weather issues that will negatively impact the ability to effectively implement the count. The CoC requested approval to reschedule the PIT count to February 4, 2026. Annual count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals and families helps determine federal funding for Ashe, Avery, Watauga, Wilkes, Alleghany, Mitchell, and Yancey counties
Northwest CoC Lead and Hospitality House of Northwest N.C. executive director Tina B. Krause received the following statement, at 2:34 p.m., from the HUD Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs. “We have determined that moving the PIT count date to in response to extreme weather events meets the good cause requirement. Therefore, HUD grants the NC-516 Northwest North Carolina CoC request for an extension for the PIT count to February 4, 2026. As a reminder, this change in date only alters when the count will occur and the CoC will still need to submit its data to HUD via the HUD Homelessness Data Exchange (HDX) in the same timeframe applicable to all other CoCs.”
“We are grateful to HUD for granting our rescheduling request,” stated Krause. “Northwest CoC partner agencies are stretched thin dealing with this extreme weather event; with agency staff laser focused on the health and safety of community members throughout the seven-county, 2,400 square mile region.”
Wednesday, February 4, 2026, marks the annual homeless Point-in-Time Count. The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count, coordinated by the Northwest N.C. Continuum of Care (CoC), is the annual documentation of the extent of homelessness in the High Country region, which includes Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties. The information from the PIT Count provides valuable insight into the extent of homelessness in the region and informs support service providers on the priorities to prevent and end homelessness.
Point-in-Time data is important as it provides an approximate scope of homelessness in the seven-county region and helps eligible agencies in the Northwest N.C. CoC apply for funding to work towards ending homelessness. PIT data is submitted each year by the Northwest N.C. CoC to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) who then submits the report to U.S. Congress in its AHAR (Annual Homeless Assessment Report) each December.
The PIT Count is a one-day unduplicated count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals and families across the nation. The Point-in-Time Count is a requirement of HUD, which currently supports the Northwest N.C. CoC member agencies annually in competitive grant funding. Programs that have beds dedicated to serve homeless individuals and families also conduct a bed inventory for the Housing Inventory Count (HIC).
The 2025 PIT Count documented 304 people experiencing homelessness both sheltered and unsheltered, 19 percent of those being children and adolescents under the age of eighteen. During this one-night snapshot, 113 of the total individuals were unsheltered with 12 percent of those being children.
“In order for our region to maximize its voice, the Northwest N.C. CoC needs active communities, across the seven counties, to make the Point-in-Time Count effective in showing the true picture of rural homelessness,” states Northwest N.C. CoC lead and Hospitality House of Northwest North Carolina executive director Tina B. Krause.
Continues Krause, “Last year, with resources stretched for agencies across the region due to Hurricane Helene, we feel like the PIT count numbers were under-reported. It is vitally important that our region get the most accurate count possible. These aren’t just numbers; these are people’s lives.”
The CoC asks service providers – food pantries, shelters, community kitchens, and hospitals; as well as, churches, local government agencies, school systems, and law enforcement agencies who are in contact with individuals and families experiencing homelessness to contact Hospitality House of Northwest N.C, the lead agency of the Northwest CoC, so that everyone experiencing homelessness is counted.
To receive a copy of the 2026 PIT Count Survey Please call (828) 773-4952 and speak with director of grant funding Ethan Flynn or email him at grants@hosphouse.org. Additional information regarding the 2026 PIT Count Survey can be accessed at hosphouse.org/nwcoc-data
Krause adds, “This is a critical time across our community. We have seen steady success in housing people, but the voice of rural communities with less resources is often overlooked. The Point in Time count is one way we can participate by showing a snapshot of what our communities are experiencing with homelessness. This report directly affects decisions made to support this vital work”
If you are experiencing homelessness, please come forward and be counted by one of these service agencies. The count respects the confidentiality of anyone experiencing homelessness by removing names once the demographic data is collected and does not obligate anyone for unwanted services. Knowing the extent of homelessness, particularly homeless families, and veterans, assists the development of support services to meet the basic needs of housing for those in need.
