One of the key responsibilities of the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness (NMCEH) is organizing and executing the annual point-in-time count, or PIT count — an effort each January to get an accurate tally of people experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque.
The count is a federal requirement that’s critical for the funding of homelessness programs and initiatives. NMCEH member organizations and their volunteers also use the occasion to make connections with the city’s unhoused population.
The logistics aren’t easy and require the coordination of more than 100 volunteers. When the final numbers are published months later it comes with caveats, as the totals are affected by how many volunteers are available, weather conditions and whether an individual agrees to take a survey, among other factors.
Nevertheless, the numbers are rising. In 2023 the Albuquerque count was 2,394, and in 2024 it was 2,740 — an increase of 346. While both years represent levels that haven’t been seen in more than a decade, Mayor Tim Keller said at his State of the City address this summer that the city’s unhoused population is closer to 5,000.
For more: How many homeless people are in Albuquerque?
Encampment sweep concerns
Organizers hope this year that city-led encampment sweeps on public property won’t skew the count.
Alexandra Paisano, an NMCEH director, said the coalition is trying to coordinate with city departments and convince officials to pause the sweeps while the count is underway.
“It sounds like they’re open to stopping sweeps in certain districts for a day, or at least an area command for the day,” she said.
The Albuquerque Police Department divides the city into six geographical areas called area commands.
Paisano said volunteers will likely dedicate considerable attention to Southeast Albuquerque, which includes the International District — an area where many of the city’s unsheltered can be seen living on the streets.
“We’re also trying to use some magnet events [to count people] — events that people tend to go to for resources,” she said.
Some of the concerns about sweeps stems from newly proposed changes to the city’s encampment policy. The proposed policy would prohibit camping within a block of Central Avenue — categorized as “priority 1” — which requires little to no notice of disbandment.
“That’s where a lot of our camps are right now, so we’ll see how it goes,” Paisano said.
For more: Proposed changes to city’s encampment policy questioned
Anami Dass, chair of the city’s Human Rights Board, said the city abates about 250 encampments each week on average.
“The number of campers impacted could be anywhere from 500 to a couple thousand,” she said. “If they could offer a week of amnesty for camps on public property and conduct the survey instead of continuing the sweeps, that’d be a meaningful contribution to the immediate and long-term wellbeing of people without housing in the city.”
Paisano said the sweeps also throw a wrench into efforts by volunteers to distribute sleeping bags and tents while canvassing, as belongings often end up being discarded by the Solid Waste Department.
“It’s not that we don’t want to give them a tent, but if it’s taken away, we’re worried that we’re just throwing the money away,” Paisano said.
Paisano said donated tents would still be distributed.
Meanwhile, Health, Housing & Homelessness spokesperson Connor Woods said this week that the city “looks forward to taking part in the PIT count, just as we have in years past,” but had no immediate word on whether officials would pause encampment sweeps.
Outreach, connection
NMCEH organizers have plans this year to expand the number of canvassing days from what’s traditionally been a weekend to an entire week.
“We hope to get a better count that way. There will be more options for people who are available to help,” William Bowen, the PIT count lead for NMCEH and author of its annual report, said.
The 2025 count is scheduled from Jan. 23 to Jan. 30. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires that the count be done in January.
For more: With smiles and surveys, volunteers count city’s homeless
Teams of volunteers will carpool to different sections of the city to walk through alleys, parks, encampments and homeless services sites with surveys and an empathetic attitude — trying to earn the trust of those on the street in order to collect valuable demographic data that will be used for funding that will shape programs and services.
Canvassers ask whether people are unsheltered, staying in emergency shelters or other facilities, or accessing transitional housing.
“It’s not just an effort that we’re required to do, but also an opportunity to do outreach citywide,” Bowen said. “I find that it’s a really good opportunity to connect with people from other agencies and people who are doing similar work.”
Read the 2024 PIT count report here. The 2023 report is available here.
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