A surveying crew of 125 volunteers on Sunday will begin counting people who are homeless at 50 areas known for encampments and other activity throughout El Paso County. The process will continue through Wednesday for the yearly Point in Time and Housing Inventory Count, according to organizers.

This year’s big initial weekend push to collect information voluntarily from people living on the streets as well as in shelters and transitional housing marks a change in strategy from the typical Monday start.

ChangeLine, a nonprofit that leads the federal government-mandated census as the Pikes Peak Continuum of Care’s administrator, wanted to sync its efforts with a regularly scheduled giveaway of clothing, food and free haircuts, said Merrina Mendez, community relations manager.

“It’s on a Sunday this year to align with the community hand-up event that occurs every last Sunday of the month that’s coordinated by a nonprofit, Because We Choose To,” she said. “They’ll be receiving services at that location, and we’ll work to get surveys completed.”

“Where did you sleep last night?” is one of the questions interviewers ask survey takers.

Saturday night’s predicted single-digit temperatures could drive people to indoor locations where they might not normally hang out, organizers said, which could affect this year’s count.

For the past several years, the Pikes Peak Continuum of Care has worked to increase the number of participants by hiring current and formerly homeless people to assist. Organizers also have added more locations where they seek out people who are homeless to fill out the census.

Last year’s Point in Time count — which only records the self-reported sleeping status of one single night in January — reached a record high of 1,745, up substantially from 1,146 in 2024.

“We knew if was far from being accurate, we knew we needed more people involved and engaged, and we knew with a more adequate amount of people counted, we could have a more adequate response,” Mendez said. “The increase is not necessarily because homelessness has increased but because we’ve had significant engagement and involvement.”

The results won’t be released until the summer and will be used in determining funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as local planning, resources, gaps and outreach services in the community, she said.

“We’re not trying to shape the data but to start monitoring it with more understanding,” Mendez said.

She said she expects this year’s data to “reflect ongoing pressures in our community in housing and affordable housing and sheltering people.”

The Pikes Peak Continuum of Care is slated to receive just above $5 million in HUD funding for the 2025-2026 cycle.