Because Everyone Counts Homeless Point in Time Counts Part II: Volunteer Training and Coordination

1
Because Everyone CountsHomeless Point in Time
Counts Part II Volunteer Training and
Coordination

• Anita Floyd
• Lindsey Stillman
• HUD Sponsored Training
• Provided with support from TDA, Inc.

2
Overview

• PIT Methods
• Using PIT Forms
• Survey Techniques
• Volunteer Training

3
PIT Counts

• Purpose
• To understand the number and characteristics of
  people sleeping in shelters, on the street, or in
  other places not fit for human habitation.
• Definition
• Unduplicated one-night count or estimate of
  sheltered and unsheltered adults, children and
  youth.
• Subpopulation information

4
HUD Required Data

• Biennial PIT Counts
• One night count of sheltered and unsheltered
  homeless persons reported in population and
  subpopulation charts of the CoC Application.
• Annual Housing Inventory Chart
• Inventory of shelter including seasonal and
  overflow beds, transitional and permanent beds
  for homeless persons.
• Annual HMIS Unduplicated Counts
• Data on persons served (unsheltered, sheltered
  and housed), characteristics, service needs/use,
  and program effectiveness.

5
Basics of SC PIT

• January 25th, 2007
• PIT count in each county in SC
• Goals
• Meet HUD requirements for Continuum of Care
  submissions
• Improve understanding of experience of
  homelessness in SC

6
Reporting Requirements

• Unaccompanied number of adults number of
  families and the number of adults and children in
  families, and unaccompanied youth.
• Sheltered homeless people reside in emergency
  shelter or transitional housing including motel
  vouchers.
• Unsheltered homeless people reside in places not
  meant for human habitation such as cars, parks,
  sidewalks, abandoned buildings, on the street,
  parks, woods.
• Sheltered and Unsheltered Katrina evacuees

7
Data requirements and sources
8
Data requirements and sources
9
Data requirements and sources
10
Additional Data and Analysis

• Form D and state administrative database.
• Based on a sample of total homeless population
• Mainstream services used by people who are
  homeless (by subpopulation).
• Cost of mainstream services used by people who
  are homeless.
• Housing experience of people who are homeless.

11
Sheltered count

• HMIS Forms A1 and A2

12
Sheltered count

• For sheltered count report on people in following
  housing programs
• People in emergency shelter and transitional
  housing including
• Domestic violence shelters
• Residential programs for runaway/homeless youth
• Motels or apartment vouchers paid for by a public
  or private agency because the individual or
  family is homeless.

13
Sheltered Count

• For sheltered count do NOT collect information on
  the following people.
• Formerly homeless people living in permanent
  supportive housing (SHP, SC).
• Individuals who are doubled up
• Children or youth who are temporarily residing in
  institutions (emergency foster care, treatment
  facilities)
• Adults living in mental health, chemical
  dependency or criminal justice facilities

14
Sheltered Count

• IF a shelter is reliably entering individual
  information into HMIS, you can use HMIS for their
  count data
• If a shelter is not using HMIS or is not entering
  information on individuals reliably, they should
  complete Form A

15
Sheltered Count HMIS

• DATA ELEMENTS
• Agency
• County
• First Name
• Last Name
• Date of Birth (MM/DD/YYYY)
• Gender
• Primary Race
• Ethnicity
• Family versus Individual
• Number in Family - Number of Children under 18
• Subpopulation Status
• Chronic Homeless - Substance Abuse
• Severe Mental Illness - HIV/AIDS
• Domestic Violence - Veteran Status
• - Unaccompanied Youth (Under 18)
• Type of Shelter
• Emergency -- Transitional

16
Sheltered Count HMIS

• Submitting HMIS Data
• HMIS coordinators should run the reports for each
  agency and double check that the information in
  the system is accurate before submitting the data
  to the coordinator.
• If there is a great deal of missing information,
  the coordinator can either request that the
  agency fill in all missing data or simply fill
  out Form A on paper.
• HMIS Coordinators need to review the data for
  completeness and submit to the Office of Research
  and Statistics by February 5th
• Data should be organized in one excel spreadsheet
  and delivered or encrypted and emailed to
  Charles.Bradberry_at_ors.sc.gov

17
Sheltered Count Form A

• Forms A1 and A2
• Used to collect data on people who are sheltered
  from agencies that do not participate in HMIS at
  all or sufficiently to secure necessary data. Use
  this form if there are any questions about
  quality of data in HMIS.
• Completed by
• Program staff
• Volunteer assisting program staff
• Completed from
• Agency records
• Interviews with residents
• Complete one form per individual homeless person
  or homeless family (individual/s with children).

18
Sheltered Count Form A

• Q1-Q6 Collect initials and other demographic data
  for unduplicating data.
• Q7-Q9 Quantify time homeless and chronic homeless
  question.
• Q10-Q11 Identify birth and homeless county.
• Q12-Q14 Subpopulation data.

19
Information for Coordinators

• Provide sufficient copies to each agency at least
  one week in advance (can be completed ahead of
  time but the agency staff should be clear to
  submit forms only on those who were in shelter on
  January 25th). Include instructions for
  completing the form, deadlines and method of
  pick-up.
• If unable to collect identifying information (DV
  Shelters) use backup form
• Ask those completing forms to review them for
  accuracy and completeness.
• Forms A1 and A2 should be returned to county
  coordinators by January 29
• County coordinators should provide forms to CoC
  coordinator by February 1.
• All forms should be in the hands of ORS by
  February 8. Review the form with staff who will
  be completing them. Get contact information.
• Forms A1 and A2 should be printed in BLUE.

20
Practice

• Groups of four
• One interviewer, one interviewee and two
  observers.
• Complete form
• Provide feedback to interviewer
• Tips?
• Questions?

21
Example

• Complete form A based on the following
  information
• Claude Jackson is a black male, born 8/6/51, who
  stayed at the emergency shelter on the night of
  January 25th. He has lived in South Carolina his
  whole life. Claude was living with his wife in
  Orangeburg, but he left two months ago when the
  money got tight and she became abusive to him.
  Claude states that this is the first time he has
  been homeless. He is staying at the shelter by
  himself since he left his wife. Claude has been
  on methadone for six months but has no other
  mental health or physical problems.
• What else would you need to ask?

22
Example

• Also need to find out
• In what county was he born?
• Does he consider himself to be Hispanic?
• Is he a Veteran?

23
DeadlinesSheltered Count Data (Form A and HMIS
Data)

• January 29
• Non HMIS Shelters submit Forms A1 and A2 to
  County Coordinators
• February 1
• County Coordinators submit Form A1 and A2 to
  Continuum Coordinators
• February 5
• HMIS Coordinators submit shelter data to ORS
• February 8
• Continuum Coordinators submit Form A1 and A2 to
  ORS

24
Unsheltered Count

• Forms B, C1 and C2

25
Unsheltered Count

• How to count
• Observation
• Service based count
• Count plus interviews

26
Unsheltered Count

• Count
• People who are literally homeless, i.e. staying
  in a place not meant for human habitation such as
  cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned buildings,
  street, woods cemeteries, etc.
• Report
• Number of unsheltered people actually counted.
• With a successful count in enough counties, will
  extrapolate to project total count.

27
Unsheltered Count Service Methodology

• Who should use this method?
• Areas that have
• Large geographic area that is mainly rural
• Lower numbers of visible unsheltered homeless
• Availability of services that are accessed by
  homeless population
• Strong collaboration among service providers
• REQUIRES collection of identifying information on
  every individual counted
• Sheltered AND Unsheltered
• REQUIRES participation of non-shelter service
  providers (mainstream providers) and targeted
  homeless providers.

28
Unsheltered Count Service Methodology

• In SC, the service based count will run from
  January 24 and February 9
• From among those seeking services, providers
  and/or volunteers will identify people who have
  housing problems.
• Each individual will be interviewed using Forms
  C1 or C2.
• The survey is designed to identify those who are
  literally homeless on January 25th.
• Will also identify people who are precariously
  housed, doubled up, etc.

29
Unsheltered Count Service Methodology

• Where do unsheltered homeless individuals receive
  assistance in your area? Identify both mainstream
  and targeted homeless agencies.

30
Unsheltered CountService Method

• Forms C1 and C2
• Used to collect data on people who are
  unsheltered in areas where it is unfeasible or
  difficult to complete a street count. Completed
  by
• Program staff interviews with clients
• Volunteers interviewing clients
• Interviewee
• Complete one form per individual homeless person
  or homeless family (individual/s with children).

31
Unsheltered Count Service Method

• Forms C1 and C2
• From people who are seeking services, identify
  those for whom housing is unstable, precarious or
  a problem.
• Screening Question Have you had any difficulty
  with housing in the past month?
• Compete survey for all except those who are in
  stable, permanent housing.
• Also help us understand precariously housed
  including doubled up.
• Must have identifying information for
  unduplication.
• Forms C1 and C2 should be copied in WHITE.

32

• Q1 Q7 Current and past housing experiences
  also gets chronic homeless and annual estimate
• Q8 Q10 Identifies literally homeless on
  January 25
• Q11 Q14 Subpopulation information
• Q15 Q21 Demographic and Identifying
  information

33
Unsheltered Count Service Method

• Train providers and volunteers to complete forms.
• Explain purpose of the study.
• Emphasize definitions of homelessness as used by
  HUD. (Mainstream service providers may not be
  familiar with HUD programs and definitions.
• Provide copies of Survey Manual
• Reflect on their role in CoC.
• Note support from State agency offices for study.

34
Unsheltered Count Service Method

• Get supervisor support for line workers
  completing forms.
• Check-in with providers over course of data
  collection.
• Promptly collect all forms and review for
  completeness.
• Recognize value of provider participation

35
Unsheltered CountService Method

• Identify who is responsible for supporting effort
  and collecting forms.
• Ask those completing forms to review them for
  accuracy and completeness.
• Forms C1 and C2 should be returned to county
  coordinators by February 14.
• County coordinators should provide forms to CoC
  coordinator by February 16.
• All forms should be in the hands of ORS by
  February 19th.

36
Unsheltered CountService Method

• If there are people living in tents, in the
  woods, in camps and you dont think that they
  receive any services from service providers
  participating in the count, you can use Forms
  C1/C2 to count them ONLY if you get all of the
  required identifying information.
• Identify locations in community where you know
  people are staying and send volunteers/service
  providers to survey people in these locations
• Can do surveys during the day or at night
• Establish safety guidelines
• Make sure to verify they were homeless on January
  25th.
• Mark that survey was collected on the street

37
Practice

• Groups of four
• One interviewer, one interviewee and two
  observers.
• Complete form C
• Provide feedback to interviewer
• Tips?
• Questions?

38
Example

• Complete form C based on the following
  information
• Yolanda H. Peterson is a white non-Hispanic
  woman, born 7/17/1956 who has been sleeping on
  her sisters couch for the last three days. She
  doesnt think she will be able to stay for more
  than a month. She and her 12 year old son were
  evicted from her apartment in Columbia three
  weeks ago at which time they were living on the
  streets. She and her son went to stay with her
  sister on January 27th. She has a history of
  alcohol and substance abuse. She is doing better
  now, having been clean for 9 months and is seeing
  a psychiatrist at a local clinic, where she
  receives treatment for depression. She is not HIV
  positive and has never served in the Military.
  This is the first time she has been homeless
  since 1970 when she left her husband because of
  domestic abuse.
• What else would you need to ask?

39
Example

• Also need to find out
• In what county did she spend the night of January
  25
• Was it within the city limits of Columbia
• Was she evacuated from Hurricane Katrina
• Was she born in South Carolina if so, what
  county?

40
DeadlinesService Count Data (Form C)

• February 14
• Service Providers submit Forms C1 and C2 to
  County Coordinators
• February 16
• County Coordinators submit Forms C1 and C2 to
  Continuum Coordinators
• February 19
• Continuum Coordinators submit Forms C1 and C2 to
  ORS

41
Unsheltered CountObservation Method

• Recommended for communities with large numbers of
  visible homeless.
• Completed during select hours within 24 hour
  period on January 25th, 2007
• Typically several hours in morning or late
  evening coinciding with peak shelter residence.
• Complete coverage
• Block by block
• Useful in urban/downtown areas
• Known locations
• Identify places where known to stay or congregate
• Combined
• Downtown and outlying areas

42
Unsheltered CountObservation Method

• Be explicit about where enumerators should or
  shouldnt go
• Abandoned buildings
• Private property
• Encampments
• Record results for consistency with future counts

43
Unsheltered CountObservation Method

• Consult with outreach workers, people who are or
  have been homeless, shelter and services staff,
  police, businesses, community development
  organizations, faith based groups, housing
  inspectors, parks and recreation staff, others?
• Review results from last count
• Develop a list of places
• Develop guidelines for finalizing list
  considering
• Safety
• Number and experience of enumerators
• Distance between locations

44
Unsheltered CountObservation Method

• Finalize list and develop strategies to avoid
  overlapping coverage.
• No identifying information is being collected so
  unduplication will depend on careful planning,
  especially timing of the count!
• Best to count people when shelters are finished
  accepting people for the evening and before they
  have release people in the morning.
• To cover more area with limited
  enumeratorsconsider starting count near shelters
  and fanning out.

45
Unsheltered CountObservation Method

• Form B is a simple observation form.
• Specify the site or location for which you are
  reporting.
• To the best of your knowledge, note the number,
  gender and race or ethnicity of those at the
  site. For some sites this will be difficultdo
  the best you can with attention to safety for
  volunteers and respect for people being counted.
• Take small incentives to initiate conversation.
• Provide information about services if
  appropriate.
• Add any notes about the site you feel are
  helpful, e.g. you found evidence of people but no
  people there were police cars nearby.
• Form B should be printed in YELLOW.

46
Unsheltered CountObservation Method

• Recruit enumerators
• Homeless and formerly homeless people
• Incentives?
• Ensure shelter support around curfews, other
  requirements.
• Public safety personnel
• Know locations
• Improve safety
• Can scare off some groups esp. youth
• Outreach workers
• Mental health
• Health care
• Others
• Homeless coalition members
• Front line shelter and soup kitchen workers
• State or city workers (parks and rec, housing,
  service groups like City Year/Americorps, people
  who feed street people
• Faith based volunteers
• Colleges or universities
• Neighborhood or business associations

47
Unsheltered CountObservation Method

• Train EVERYONE
• Ground rules
• Recording information/use of forms
• What to do in an emergency
• Can be provided immediately before the count
• Provide written guidelines
• Assign enumerators in pairs or teams by
  experience
• Provide maps
• Develop communication strategies (cell phones,
  central number, radios/walkie talkies)
• Provide or make sure enumerators are equipped
  with pencils, clip boards, forms, flashlights,
  identification, incentives for people they
  encounter (socks, blankets, food).
• Provide coffee, snacks or food for returning
  enumerators if possible)

48
Practice

• Groups of four
• Everyone completes form.
• Compare answers
• Tips?
• Questions?

49
Practice

• Complete Form B based on the following
  information
• Your team observes three middle-aged males
  sleeping under a bridge. One is White and two
  are African-American. On the opposite side of the
  river under the bridge is an African-American
  woman with an eight year old boy. The men do not
  appear to be with the woman and her son. A
  police car is parked approximately one block from
  the bridge.

50
DeadlinesObservation Data (Form B)

• January 26
• County Coordinator collects Form B
• January 31
• County Coordinator submits Form B to Continuum
  Coordinator
• February 5
• Continuum Coordinator submits Form B to ORS

51
Additional Analysis

• Detailed survey on homeless experience in SC
• Housing experience
• Use of services
• Special populations including veterans and
  chronically homeless
• Conducted on a sample of homeless population in
  late February/early March
• Survey data will be analyzed and participant data
  will matched with State administrative data for
  additional analysis of use and cost of services.

52
Interviewing Techniques and Guidelines
53
Surveys

• Structured surveys.
• Short answer or choice response questions.
• Long form survey D offers some opportunities for
  participant comments.

54
Participant protection

• All surveys are voluntary and eligible
  interviewees may choose not to participate or to
  terminate interview before completing survey.
• Participants must clearly inform participants of
  confidentiality of data.
• No individual identifying information will be
  sharedonly aggregated data will be reported.
• Interviewers must agree to keep information
  confidential including agreeing not to disclose
  information to anyone in the organization
  (including case managers). Only exception to
  disclosure is if person being interviewed
  presents clear danger to themselves or others.
• If thank you gifts are provideddo not withhold
  from anyone who chooses not to participate.

55
Survey Techniques

• Be prepared
• Be familiar with all documents including
  definitions
• Have pens, survey forms, clipboards, incentives
  if applicable.
• Be professional
• Introduce self, identify affiliation, explain
  purpose of the survey, share length of survey and
  time required, explain confidentiality, ask if
  the participant is willing to participate.
• Use a private space for the survey.

56
Survey Techniques

• Be clear
• Speak clearly and repeat questions as necessary.
• Ask the questions as written.
• Ask for clarification as needed.
• Be neutral
• Do not answer for the individual even if you
  know the him or her.
• Affirm but do not judge/react to answers
• I see, yes, ok, NOT Wow! Thats terrible! Or
  Are you kidding?

57
Survey Techniques

• Be careful
• Do not skip questions unless instructed.
• Write clearly and legibly.
• Complete all sections.
• Review the form immediately after completing.
• Be courteous
• Thank the individual for completing the survey.
• Offer a thank you gift as appropriate.

58
Survey Techniques

• Dress appropriately.
• Be attentive.
• Answer interviewees questions.
• Know who to call if interviewee needs assistance.
• Be safe.

59
Count Volunteer Training Tips

• Schedule training that is convenient to
  volunteers and providers
• May require more than one session on the same
  strategy
• May need to provide training on site to providers
• Provide an overview of the whole project
• Purpose of the count
• Their role in the big picture
• Be clear and specific
• Provide detailed instructions regarding what you
  are asking them to do.
• Describe different opportunities and requirements
  (you want the right people in the right jobs).
• Clearly state deadlines.
• Inform volunteers of what they will need, what
  you will provide (e.g. survey forms, incentives)
  and what they will need to provide (e.g.
  flashlights).

60
Count Volunteer Training Tips

• Organize materials (training packet).
• Agenda
• Training manual
• Forms
• Contact information for count leadership.
• Maps and assignments for street counts.
• Addresses and times for service counts.
• Train on relevant definitions especially
  homelessness.
• Make sure you have contact information on all
  volunteers.
• Have back up plans for volunteers who have
  emergencies.

61
Count Volunteer Training Tips

• Safety for observation counts
• No one goes alone!
• Encourage volunteers to preview their target
  area. Develop communication strategies (cell
  phones, central number, radios/walkie talkies)
• Provide or make sure volunteers have pens, clip
  boards, forms, flashlights, identification, count
  identification, incentives for people they
  encounter (socks, blankets, food).
• Have a system for volunteers to check in at HQ
  (everyone should complete work by specified time,
  turn in forms that night, provide opportunity for
  them to review them for legibility.
• Provide coffee, snacks or food for returning
  enumerators if possible.

62
More Tips

• All forms should be reviewed for legibility and
  completeness.
• Be sure to fill in county section.
• Staple or double-side copy forms and take care to
  keep multiple pages together.
• Use specified colors for forms
• A 12Blue
• BYellow
• C 12White
• Turn forms in promptly!