National Homeless Census: 5 Things Everyone Should Know

This week, communities nationwide face the imposing task of tallying up their homeless population for the bi-annual "Point In Time" count. Volunteers will scour under bridges, in dumpsters, and through tent cities to find and count those without a home.

But like most beaurocratic processes, counting the homeless is no small task. Tallying up the number of people in emergency shelters, transitional shelters, supported housing, and emergency rooms is easy. Finding those who are unsheltered is a bit more tricky.

The Point In Time count takes place every two years in January. It's required for community's wishing to receive federal homeless assistance funds. Needless to say, there's a lot at stake. And there's more to it than meets the eye....

1. Counting the homeless is extremely political.

Although there is no direct connection between how many homeless are counted and the doling out  of federal dough, that doesn't mean politics is left out of this national census. The image and perception of governors, mayors, and city counselors everywhere is at stake. If the number of homeless people drops, the local government cites this as an achievement. If the number increases, local govermnet officials are criticized and advocates pressure for more support.

Even former President Bush played homeless "numbers game" earlier this month. He cited a drop in chronic homelessness (thanks to a change in counting methodology, as I pointed out here) as one of the few shining achievements of his administration. This "decline," of course, was based on data collected from the Point In Time count. (There we go... full circle.)

2. Homeless counts are unscientific and subjective.

How do you tell if a person is homeless? Particularly a person living on the streets? The answer isn't easy. Many communities attempt to take the guesswork out of the count by taking to the streets in the early morning hours, but even then there's a fair amount of subjectivity involved.

One San Francisco volunteer census worker was critical of the instructions she received for determining who was homeless:

We were to automatically count: people sleeping outside; vehicles with covered windows; and makeshift structures such as tents and boxes. We were not to automatically count people leaving bars or waiting for buses. And finally, we were to take factors like loitering, panhandling, shopping-cart pushing, recycling, inebriation, and dishevelry (yeah, I know, not a word, but it should be) into consideration when deciding who was and wasn't homeless. Talk about subjective. Oh, and under no circumstances were we to actually ask a person whether or not they lived in a home. Perhaps that would make the survey a little too accurate?

3. Counts are not all-encompassing (hence the "Point In Time").

The Point In Time count is a one-night snapshot of homelessness in America. Yet, we know that the non-chronic homeless population (such as families or youth) are extremely fluid. In other words, a person or family's episode of homelessness may only last a few weeks. So how can this be captured and counted if it does not happen to occur during the one-night count in January? Simple answer: they won't.

Furthermore, there are plenty of other known homeless individuals who are not included in the federal definition of homelessness. Many shelters have long waiting lists of families or individuals who, while waiting for a bed to open up, stay on the couch or floor of a family or friend (in fact, this is the living situation most people entering a family shelter come from). Yet, these people are not included in the count.  

4. Elements (& events) matter.

This week, the Northeast has been pelted with snowstorm, freezing rain, sleet, black ice, and slushy puddles suitable for swimming. But, as they say, the count must go on.

Experts contend that the count occurs in January because this is when the need to find people outside and bring them safely indoors is the greatest. But then again, this is when those who shun shelters (for a variety of reasons) must be industrious about finding alternative sleeping arrangements. In other words, they may not be so easy to find.

The same thing happens when a major event comes to town. In Tampa Bay, so many homeless individuals were being uprooted, moved, or arrested due to Super Bowl-related "street sweeps," homeless advocates have elected to delay their Point In Time count for an entire month.

5. Despite their innate flaws, counts are absolutely necessary.

Yes, homeless counts can be messy, subjective, and political. Yes, they may not be entirely accurate or all-encompassing. And yes, they are unscientific. But they are extremely important nonetheless.

On one level, Point In Time counts help those on the ground reach out and find people who might not be receiving services. At a higher level, the findings help quantify for policy makers (and, indeed, for the rest of us) our society's failure to ensure that every person has a safe, decent place to call home. Until this goal is achieved, we should continue sending volunteers out every January into dark woods, dirty dumpsters, cold subway stations, and dingy sidewalks to see how people must live when ending homelessness is not a national priority.

Perhaps LA homelessness blogger Joel John Roberts said it best:

The number of homeless on our streets is way more than what is acceptable for this First World country we call America.

Amen to that.

[Picture: Change.org's very own Mark Horvath takes part in Glendale, California's Point In Time count. From the Glendale News Press.]