Officials, volunteers conduct census of Chicagoans experiencing homelessness as dangerous wind chills arrive

Under a dim moon, a team of five volunteers walked late Thursday through desolate parks on Chicago's North Side and trawled through alleyways in search of anyone they could find.

In the first few hours, some volunteers struggled to find anyone amid the frigid cold, though by the end of the night they will have counted and surveyed thousands living on the street and in shelters as part of the annual “point-in-time” count.

The “point-in-time” count is a snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness in a single night, conducted each year by the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services as part of a federal mandate from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The count determines how federal funds are distributed and can influence local policy, though it has caught flak nationwide from advocates who say it isn’t accurate.

Between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. shelter staff do a count, and then 550 city staff members and volunteers conduct the outdoor count from 9 p.m. until 3 a.m., offering snacks, hats, gloves, socks, hygiene kits and resource cards along the way. A specific youth search will be done over the next five days.

The count happened as the Chicago area braced for frigid wind chills that were expected to drop to as low as minus 35 by Friday. By the time volunteers headed outside Thursday night, wind chills had already dipped to minus 1, according to the National Weather Service.

“To alleviate and end homelessness, we need to know the scope of the challenge,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement. “Behind every number is a neighbor who deserves dignity, safety, and a place to call their own. I want to thank all of our intrepid City workers and volunteers for braving the cold tonight and contributing to our work to address homelessness in Chicago.”

But the point-in-time count isn’t always accurate, and recent funding cuts could make it less so.

More than 58,000 Chicagoans experienced homelessness in 2024, according to a recently released report from the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness. Meanwhile the city’s point-in-time count for that year was 19,000.

Officials with the advocacy group told WBEZ that volunteers may miss people living in abandoned buildings or in cars, or those couch surfing or staying at friends’ or relatives’ homes, what’s known as “doubled up” — particularly on the coldest night of the year. It’s nearly three times more common than those living on the street or in shelters in Chicago, per the report.

Cheryl Hamilton Hill, chief executive officer of Lincoln Park Community Services, agreed with the coalition as her shelter was taking part in the count Thursday night.

“If people are seeking shelter, they’re not going to be out there waiting for someone to count them,” Hill said. “They’re going to be taking cover in an abandoned building or under a viaduct, they may be couch surfing — but those people we won’t be able to count.”

Some cities facing similar criticism have made it a dayslong affair or moved it to the morning, like San Francisco did this year.

Hill said she would welcome a shift to July, and a multi-day approach so advocates could get a more accurate number, especially given how it affects funding.

The houseless population has been on the rise in recent years. Nationwide it grew by more than 18% in 2024, according to federal officials, and is on track to grow more.

A July executive order by President Donald Trump, billed as “ending crime and disorder on America’s streets,” aims to shift funds away from the harm-reduction approach and direct federal support to states and cities to remove outdoor homeless encampments and forcefully institutionalize people — which advocates say will tear down years of infrastructure and progress.

Hill’s shelter lost its drop-in program and street outreach team due to federal funding cuts, the latter of which contacted more than 100 people daily outside of the annual count.

“While [the PIT count] shows the trend, the numbers are not 100% accurate, and it’s tough when you have to utilize those numbers to determine what kind of money is coming into your community,” Hill said.

Part of the count is also surveying people's needs.

Mitchell, a former Uptown resident, said he lost his housing four months ago after being laid off, and he spent the first month and a half going through interviews to get placed in a shelter.

It wasn’t until someone doing intake was able to speak to him in more detail about his needs.

He said the lack of communication between shelters and local government agencies, such as the Chicago Housing Authority, can make people become stagnant as they see the years-long waitlist for affordable housing and other resources.

“I’ve been here three months and I don’t really know what the next step is after applying for housing,” the 36-year-old said. “It’s a waiting game, so having clarity would be nice. … There’d be more hope in what’s next.”