The annual point-in-time census of homeless people was undertaken in the District of Columbia this week so city agencies and other groups that get money to aid the homeless remain eligible.

Point-in-time counts take place in the last 10 days of January in communities across the country as a condition of receiving aid toward tackling homelessness from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. D.C. undertook its count on Wednesday.

Specifically, the PIT count measures individuals and families that have “a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not meant for human habitation” or that are “living in a publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements,” according to the D.C. PIT website.

People being surveyed were given protective face masks and an activated $25 gift card.

The number of homeless people in D.C. has fallen since 2020, when there were 6,380 homeless, but numbers have been increasing in the past couple of years, according to a Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments report.

In 2022, there were only 4,410 homeless people measured by the PIT count in D.C., but in 2023 the number was up to 4,922 and in 2024 up to 5,616, per the council report.

Other local jurisdictions have also seen an increase.

Montgomery County, Maryland, went from 894 homeless people in 2023 to 1,144 in 2024 and has seen a 71% increase since 2020. Fairfax County, Virginia, had fewer homeless people in 2024, with 1,278 versus 1,310 the year prior, but has seen a 23% rise overall since 2020.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.