What is the Housing Inventory Count (HIC)?
Author: Betty Created, November 26, 2025
Ever heard someone mention the Housing Inventory Count (HIC) and thought, “The what?!”
If you’ve ever heard people say things like “all the shelters are full” or “there’s no housing,” or you’ve seen that yourself, the HIC helps explain why. It’s an important process that every organization using HMIS needs to take part in.
So what is the HIC?
The HIC is basically a large spreadsheet listing all the homeless-specific programs in a community. It shows:
- How many people each program could serve
- How many people they were serving on the PIT night
- Other details like funding and who the program serves
It only includes these types of programs:
- Emergency Shelter (ES)
- Safe Haven (SH)
- Transitional Housing (TH)
- Permanent housing programs (PSH, RRH, etc.)
Why is the HIC important?
People often say things like “all the shelters are full” or “there’s not enough housing.” That may be true, but funders need actual numbers to understand what’s going on.
The HIC helps answer questions like:
- Are all the shelter beds in one part of town?
- Why do some housing programs move people in faster than others?
- Do we actually have enough beds or not?
- Are some programs under-used because they don’t meet the community’s needs?
- Do we need more shelters, more housing programs, or just more rental units?
Before a community can ask for more money, it needs accurate, complete data. That’s why the HIC matters so much.
What do agencies need to do?
1. Tell ICA when your programs change
Programs change all the time—capacity, funding, populations served, etc.
When ICA or CoC Coordinators email you to verify your program information, please respond or loop in the right person on your team.
2. Keep your HMIS data accurate, especially for PIT night
Programs must make sure their client lists in HMIS match who was actually enrolled or housed on PIT night in January. Even small mistakes add up across the whole community and can give funders the wrong picture.
Examples of common errors:
- Clients not enrolled in HMIS
- Incorrect move-in dates
- Kids not enrolled with the parent
These need to be fixed so the community’s numbers are accurate.
What if my program doesn’t use HMIS?
You still need to take part in the HIC.
Even without HMIS, your program’s bed numbers and usage matter for the community’s overall picture. You’ll be given another way to report your information—just respond when asked.
When does this all happen?
- Early November: CoC Coordinators start asking about program changes.
- Mid-January: ICA and CoC Coordinators send an interactive spreadsheet for agencies to review and update their program details.
- Mid–Late February: Programs finish reviewing and updating their HIC info.
- By end of February: Programs review and fix client-level HMIS data for PIT night.
In Summary
The HIC is a key tool for understanding what shelter and housing resources a community actually has—and what it still needs. Good data helps communities get the funding they need. When you get emails about the HIC, please respond. Your part in this really matters.