Each December the City of Boston Emergency Shelter Commission conducts an annual homeless census including a count of people living on the streets, in emergency shelters for individuals and families, domestic violence programs, mental health and substance abuse treatment programs, transitional housing and specialized programs serving homeless youth and homeless Veterans. The census provides critical information on the scope of the problem of homelessness in Boston. The census tracks the capacity and utilization of emergency shelters, transitional and treatment programs. This data helps the City of Boston out a number to the unmet need for housing, which informs city policy and priorities and enables agencies to measure progress in our efforts to prevent and end homelessness.