Point-In-Time Count (PITC) Virtual Trainings

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

San Bernardino County has historically conducted volunteer staff trainings for the annual Point-In-Time Count (PITC) at locations across the county. Trainings were typically held within the more densely populated areas of the County while only a handful were held in rural communities. Obtaining a sufficient number of volunteers from the rural communities in the County proved to be challenging as these individuals would need to commute long distances on a specific date and time to attend a training. Many potential volunteers could not attend the trainings due to prior commitments, expenses related to travel, inclement weather, or road conditions. To address and alleviate these barriers, the County moved PITC trainings to a virtual setting in 2022, allowing volunteers to attend without having to travel to a physical training site. The virtual training allowed participants to ask questions using the “Chat” feature, and periodic knowledge checks were administered to ensure an understanding of the material. As a result of offering virtual PITC trainings, there was a 41 percent increase in the number of volunteers trained between 2020 and 2022, as well as savings in travel and labor expenses.