va national center on homelessness among veterans | u.s. department of veterans affairs dan treglia,...
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VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Diversity of Locations 469 sq. miles 8.5 million people 27,857.9 people per sq. mile 147,164 sq. miles 1 million people 6.86 people per sq. mileTRANSCRIPT
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Dan Treglia, MPPThe Homeless Evidence and Research Synthesis (HERS) Roundtable
SeriesEnumeration of Homelessness
July 14, 2015
PIT Counts: Estimating the Unsheltered
Homeless Population
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Parameters of PIT Count• At least once every other year
• Conducted during the last 10 days of January
• Must account for ALL homeless people in CoC– Living in a place not designed or
ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation: unsheltered homeless persons
– Living in emergency shelters and transitional housing projects: sheltered homeless persons
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Diversity of Locations
• 469 sq. miles
• 8.5 million people
• 27,857.9 people per sq. mile
• 147,164 sq. miles
• 1 million people
• 6.86 people per sq. mile
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The Basics of an Estimate
Street-Based Count Service-Based Count
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Street Count Methods
– Entirety of Geographic Area• Boston
– Known “hotspots”• Philadelphia
– Sample with extrapolation• New York City
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Street Count Methods
– Entirety of Geographic Area• Boston
– Known “hotspots”• Philadelphia
– Sample with extrapolation• New York City
• 89 mi2
• 143 mi2
• 469 mi2
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Simple vs. Stratified Sampling• Divide CoC into small areas
– Census tract or block group
Simple Random Sample
=
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Simple vs. Stratified Sampling• Divide CoC into small areas
– Census tract or block group
Stratified Random Sample
=
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Service-Based Counts
• Many people who do not use shelter access other services and public facilities
• Ideal when jurisdictions are large & have challenging topography
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Service-Based Counts
• Must ask detailed questions about where an individual slept on Count Night
• Can take place for up to 7-days after Count Night
• Must unduplicate across multiple services and nights
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Strengths & WeaknessesStreet-Count
• Pros:– Little chance of double
counting– Good understanding of
covered areas– No recall problems
• Cons:– Miss “invisible homeless”– May miss people who do not
appear homeless– Can be affected by weather– Difficult in large geographies
Service-Based Enumeration• Pros:
– Good for large and challenging areas
– Reach “invisible homeless”– Good for targeting hard-to-
reach populations (e.g. youth)
• Cons:– Not all homeless people
access services– May double count– Subject to recall errors
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Improving Methodological Fidelity:
Plant-Capture
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Improving Coverage• Use sampling to cover more space in a
systematic way
• Use service-based enumerations to supplement street counts– Counts must be coordinated & unduplicated
VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Questions?• [email protected]