The PIT Count and the Fellows
Oftentimes, the McGowan Fellows experience includes the PIT count—short for the Point-in-Time count
It’s a cold, instructive, and rewarding exercise. The Fellows meet with nonprofits working in the field, and then join a nationwide effort to count how many people are living on the street one night in January.
The PIT count is one way the U.S. monitors some of its most vulnerable people—women with children and nowhere to go, men who are addicted, teenagers running from abuse. Many have health problems exacerbated by unlivable conditions. The PIT count is a surprising and mind-changing experience.
In keeping with the Fund’s concern about homelessness and commitment to reducing inequality, three of the Fellowship social impact projects have focused on this nearly invisible population.