Measuring Homelessness

1
Measuring Homelessness

• Presentation by Declan Smyth, Statistician, CSO.
• MPHASIS
• 7th November 2008

2
Layout of presentation

• Historical picture
• Field staff structure/Logistics
• Enumeration procedure
• The Census Form
• Towards Census 2011

3
Censuses - historical picture

• 1841-1911 every ten years
• 1926-1946 every ten years
• 1951 to-date every five years with two
  exceptions
• 1976 census cancelled on cost grounds - headcount
  subsequently taken in 1979
• 2001 census postponed to 2002 because of foot and
  mouth disease in March/April 2001

4
2006 census results

• Population of 4.235 m - highest since 1861
• 2 p.a. since 2002
• Highest annual increase in EU
• Previous high 1.5 p.a. in 1971/1979
• 50 increase since 1961 (2.8m)

5
Field structure

• 6 Liaison Officers
• 40 Regional Supervisors
• 400 Field Supervisors
• 4,400 Enumerators covering between 290-350
  households including communal establishments
  (hotels, prisons etc).
• Enumerators Distribute/ Collect/ Check and
  summarise forms

6
Logistics

• Printing and storage of all materials
• Distribution of materials (incl. paper, mobile
  phones, PCs, printers etc.)
• Organise storage of completed census forms
• Account for all expenditures

7
Enumeration procedure

• Visual enumeration
• Distribution of census forms
• Collection of completed census forms
• Scrutiny of forms on the door step
• Summarisation of census returns
• Return street/townland summaries
• Return of materials to CSO

8
The Census Form

• Basic form is a household form
• Questions relating to household accommodation
• 6 persons - 3 pages of questions each
• Individual form - HH over 7 persons, hotel,
  privacy
• Listing form - institutions e.g. hospital
• Living Rough form

9
Communal Establishments in Census 2006
Population Number of establishments Persons Males Females
Establishments
Hospital 244 22,689 10,115 12,574
Nursing home/children's home 941 23,317 8,233 15,084
Educational establishment 80 4,369 2,276 2,093
Religious community 534 6,038 1,754 4,284
Defence establishment 29 810 730 80
Prison 15 3,133 3,018 115
Shelter or Refuge 189 5,681 3,646 2,035
Hotel 800 30,528 16,020 14,508
Guest house, boarding house and BB 1,075 6,643 3,726 2,917
Tourist/youth hostel or campsite 158 3,099 1,739 1,360
Civilian ships, boats and barges 32 368 364 4
Other 97 1,310 646 664
Not stated 3 15 9 6
Total 4,197 108,000 52,276 55,724
(including accommodation for homeless persons)
10
Towards Census 2011

• Advisory Sub-group on the Homeless have held
  meeting in CSO 14 October 2008
• Focus Ireland
• HSE
• Simon Community of Ireland
• The Homeless Agency
• D/Environment, Heritage and Local Government
• Fingal County Council

11
Towards Census 2011

• Group to agree a list of institutions that
  persons who reside in are likely to be homeless
  prior to Census 2011
• Homeless Agency (HA) plan to assist CSO with
  enumeration of the homeless in the Dublin area
• HA conduct their own enumeration of those
  sleeping rough in Dublin regularly and could test
  collecting the data CSO propose to gather in
  Census 2011

12
Towards Census 2011

• The Homeless Forums in Local Authorities are a
  key point of contact for CSO in identifying
  institutions, especially in areas outside of
  Dublin
• For those Sleeping Rough intend to capture
• Name
• Sex
• Date of Birth/Age
• Place of Birth/Nationality

13
Towards Census 2011

• CSO will keep in contact with the various
  agencies/organisations and the D/Environment in
  relation to the enumeration of the Homeless and
  outputs to be produced from Census 2011.
• Outputs for 2011 2 categories, Sleeping Rough
  and Homeless Institutions

14
MPHASIS7th November 2008

• Any questions?