RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Housing for the Homeless Consortium, an affiliate of South Dakota Housing, announced Thursday that the annual statewide point-in-time homeless count is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2026.

The count is a national, one-day survey designed to estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness or fleeing domestic violence throughout South Dakota. The data collected provides a yearly snapshot used to measure homelessness at local, state and national levels.

According to the consortium, the information gathered during the count is essential for policymakers and community leaders. The data helps track progress, identify gaps in services, increase public awareness and improve planning for future needs. It serves as the primary tool to demonstrate unmet needs within communities across the state.

To ensure accuracy, the state is divided into six regions, with local coordinators working alongside agencies and volunteers in each area.

For Rapid City and Region 1, which covers Bennet, Butte, Corson, Custer, Dewey, Fall River, Jackson, Haakon, Harding, Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, Perkins, Ziebach and Oglala Lakota counties, the contact is Amy Richie with Volunteers of America-Northern Rockies. Richie can be reached at amy.richie@voanr.org.

Andrew Havens serves as the West River contact for Veteran Affairs and can be reached at 605-490-9705.

Communities and projects are urged to contact their local coordinators to assist with the count. Participation is encouraged for organizations intending to apply for future homeless response grants, and federally funded homeless programs are required to participate.

Since its creation in 2001, the South Dakota Housing for the Homeless Consortium has received over $39 million in federal funding to support development, operations and services for homeless programs statewide.

For more information regarding the count, CoC Administrator Joseph Tielke can be reached at 605-773-5160 or joseph@sdhda.org.