Point In Time Count

During March and April this year, Kansas City will work with four area shelters to extend the city's Zero KC emergency cold-weather plan to last the entire year. The new policy eases restrictions for people who've been kept out of shelters because of mental health, addiction or other issues — and adds additional beds.

Each year, volunteers venture out nationwide on a single night for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s point-in-time count in an effort to tally the country’s homeless population. Rural volunteers say they rely on the count to aid their unhoused populations. Meanwhile, experts say HUD may be undercounting.

One night last month, volunteers ventured out in Missouri to try to tally the state's homeless population. It's an incredibly important but flawed system that is especially difficult in rural areas. Plus: A shortage of attorneys in Kansas is so bad that it could lead to courts dismissing criminal cases.