City Officials, Springfield Police Officers Participate in Point-in-Time Count

Over the past few weeks, members and volunteers working with the Springfield-Hampden County Continuum of Care (CoC) along with Springfield Police Officers from the Neighborhood Stabilization Bureau C3 Units under the deployment of HOPE 2.0 details participated in Springfield’s Point-In-Time Count. 

The Point-in-Time Count, or PIT Count is an annual survey of homeless people in the United States conducted by local agencies called Continuums of Care (CoCs) on behalf of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  HUD uses the data from PIT counts to evaluate the effectiveness of local agencies’ efforts to address homelessness and to determine funding amounts for them, and also compiles the data into the Annual Homeless Assessment Report, which is provided to Congress. HUD defines the PIT as a “count of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons carried out on one night in the last 10 calendar days of January or at such other time as required by HUD.”  Our local count identified people who were homeless on the night of January 29, 2025.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno states, “I commend and thank our Springfield-Hampden County Continuum of Care point person Housing Director Gerry McCafferty and team as well as our dedicated Springfield Police Officers, outreach workers, and volunteers for completing this important work. Like the rest of Massachusetts and much of the nation, Hampden County does not have enough housing units, which has led to dramatic rent increases in the last few years. We have many great people doing great work to address the homelessness, especially Hope Program Manager Stephanie Tonelli and Police Lt. Brian Elliott. We will continue to be proactive and compassionate on this issue, and work to provide comprehensive help to steer people toward a sustainable path.”

Springfield Police Superintendent Lawrence E. Akers stated, “I’d like to thank our officers, city employees, outreach workers and volunteers who braved the cold to conduct this important survey.  Our officers know many of our unsheltered population by name and attempt to connect them with services throughout the year.  Our Hope 2.0 team works with Director of Housing Geraldine McCafferty to assess the best path forward for this vulnerable population which includes many families to ensure they are not left behind.  This annual count is integral to making sure Springfield has the proper resources to help these individuals and families.”

Geraldine McCafferty, Springfield’s Director of Housing and Homeless Prevention Policy, said “Our local effort is tied to the efforts of communities around the country to create a record of how many people are homeless at a single point in time. In addition to being an important data collection effort, the PIT count is also an opportunity for us to ensure that we know and are working with each unsheltered person to help connect them to housing and services. In the weeks following the count, our community partners use the information gathered to work toward assistance plans for each individual we meet during the count. While the current housing market is challenging, outreach workers are regularly assisting people to move out of homelessness and into their own apartments.”

The PIT consists of an observational count and a survey of homeless people, the former to establish a sense of scale and the latter to estimate the number of individuals in various subcategories, like homeless veterans or homeless youth.  The PIT collects data on individuals and families that are unsheltered, in transitional housing, emergency shelters or safe havens. 

During the 2025 PIT Count, 90 unsheltered individuals were identified in Springfield.  Director of Housing Geraldine McCafferty will release further information on the PIT count and how it compares to previous years in the coming weeks.