IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/evarev/v39y2015i5p480-500.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Enhanced Methodologies to Enumerate Persons Experiencing Homelessness in a Large Urban Area

Author

Listed:
  • Catherine L. Troisi
  • Ritalinda D’Andrea
  • Gary Grier
  • Stephen Williams

Abstract

Introduction: Homelessness is a public health problem, and persons experiencing homelessness are a vulnerable population. Estimates of the number of persons experiencing homelessness inform funding allocations and services planning and directly determine the ability of a community to intervene effectively in homelessness. The point-in-time (PIT) count presents a logistical problem in large urban areas, particularly those covering a vast geographical area. Materials and Methods: Working together, academia, local government, and community organizations improved the methodology for the count. Specific enhancements include use of incident command system (ICS), increased number of staging areas/teams, specialized outreach and Special Weapons and Tactics teams, and day-after surveying to collect demographic information. Results: This collaboration and enhanced methodology resulted in a more accurate estimate of the number of persons experiencing homelessness and allowed comparison of findings for 4 years. While initial results showed an increase due to improved counting, the number of persons experiencing homelessness counted for the subsequent years showed significant decrease during the same time period as a “housing first†campaign was implemented. The collaboration also built capacity in each sector: The health department used ICS as a training opportunity; the academics enhanced their community health efforts; the service sector was taught and implemented more rigorous quantitative methods; and the community was exposed to public health as a pragmatic and effective discipline. Practical Implications: Improvements made to increase the reliability of the PIT count can be adapted for use in other jurisdictions, leading to improved counts and better evaluation of progress in ending homelessness.

Suggested Citation

  • Catherine L. Troisi & Ritalinda D’Andrea & Gary Grier & Stephen Williams, 2015. "Enhanced Methodologies to Enumerate Persons Experiencing Homelessness in a Large Urban Area," Evaluation Review, , vol. 39(5), pages 480-500, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:evarev:v:39:y:2015:i:5:p:480-500
    DOI: 10.1177/0193841X15610191
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0193841X15610191
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0193841X15610191?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hopper, K. & Shinn, M. & Laska, E. & Meisner, M. & Wanderling, J., 2008. "Estimating numbers of unsheltered homeless people through plant-capture and postcount survey methods," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 98(8), pages 1438-1442.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lorenzo Fattorini & Giulio Ghellini, 2014. "Estimating the Size of Street-Dwelling Populations Using Mark-Resighting Counts," Mathematical Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(1), pages 2-11, January.
    2. William N. Evans & David C. Phillips & Krista Ruffini, 2021. "Policies To Reduce And Prevent Homelessness: What We Know And Gaps In The Research," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 40(3), pages 914-963, June.
    3. John P. Allegrante & David A. Sleet, 2021. "Investing in Public Health Infrastructure to Address the Complexities of Homelessness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-8, August.
    4. Meyer, Bruce D. & Wyse, Angela & Corinth, Kevin, 2023. "The size and Census coverage of the U.S. homeless population," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    5. Jean Calterone Williams, 2011. "“Stand Up and Be Counted”: The Politics of a Homeless Enumeration," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 3(3), pages 1-27, September.
    6. A. M. Coumans & M. Cruyff & P. G. M. Heijden & J. Wolf & H. Schmeets, 2017. "Estimating Homelessness in the Netherlands Using a Capture-Recapture Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 189-212, January.
    7. William N. Evans & David C. Philips & Krista J. Ruffini, 2019. "Reducing and Preventing Homelessness: A Review of the Evidence and Charting a Research Agenda," NBER Working Papers 26232, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Vincent A. Fusaro & Helen G. Levy & H. Luke Shaefer, 2018. "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Lifetime Prevalence of Homelessness in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(6), pages 2119-2128, December.
    9. James O'Donnell, 2020. "Estimating annual rates of homelessness," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(1), pages 1-34.
    10. Linda J. Young & Andrea C. Lamas & Denise A. Abreu, 2017. "The 2012 Census of Agriculture: A Capture–Recapture Analysis," Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics, Springer;The International Biometric Society;American Statistical Association, vol. 22(4), pages 523-539, December.
    11. Curtis Smith & Ernesto Castañeda, 2020. "Sick Enough? Mental Illness and Service Eligibility for Homeless Individuals at the Border," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-23, August.
    12. Gormley, R. & Goudie, I.B.J., 2013. "Estimation for the Schnabel census with plants," Statistics & Probability Letters, Elsevier, vol. 83(7), pages 1740-1744.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:evarev:v:39:y:2015:i:5:p:480-500. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.