2011 Homeless Count FAQs
What is the 2011 Homeless Count?
The 2011 Homeless Count is a comprehensive census of the
homeless designed to identify how many people are homeless in
Tarrant County at a given point‐in‐time.
Why count the homeless?
The Tarrant County Homeless Coalition coordinates a census and
survey of the homeless not only to fulfill the HUD requirement for
federal funding for a variety of homeless housing and supportive
services through the Continuum of Care, but also in order to
understand the changing trends, extent, and nature of homelessness.
The data will also assist in measuring the degree of success in
ending homelessness.
The point in time count will be the official enumeration not
only for federal HUD programs, but also Veteran's Administration
Homeless Assistance Programs and Health and Human Services Homeless
Assistance Programs. This data collection event is directly related
to future federal funding allocations for Tarrant County.
When will the Homeless Count take
Place?
Thursday, January 27, 2011 from 9:30 pm until approximately
1:00 am.
This is the fourth census of the homeless. Past counts occurred
in January of 2006, 2007 and 2009.
Who should participate in the Homeless
Count?
In order to conduct a complete and accurate count of the
homeless throughout the Tarrant County area, over 500 volunteers
are needed. Volunteers should be 18 years and older.
Representatives are needed from every homeless service provider
organization within the Continuum of Care. Volunteers from all
walks of life are invited to participate.
Where will the Homeless Count be
conducted?
The 2011 Homeless Count will take place throughout Tarrant
County, with a primary concentration of volunteers in Fort Worth
which have the greater homeless populations. Homeless Count staging
areas will be located in Fort Worth at the University Christian
Church Fellowship Hall, next to the TCU campus, 2720 S. University
Drive; in Arlington at the Arlington Human Services Building, 501
W. Sanford. Volunteers will sign in and receive their count
assignment and deploy throughout the county.
The cities of Fort Worth and Arlington have been divided into
counting routes with smaller routes in high impact zones where
homeless encampments are common such as under bridges, in parks,
and in wooded right of ways. Homeless counts will take place
all over the state of Texas on the same night as January 27, 2011
to assure an unduplicated count.
Who will be counted in the Homeless
Count?
Persons that will be counted will be those individuals and
members of families that are considered homeless on the day of the
count based on the definition of homelessness provided by the U.S.
Department and Urban Development (HUD). HUD provides communities
with guidance on the definition of homeless:
A person is considered homeless only when he/she resides in
places not meant for human habitation such as cars, parks,
sidewalks, and abandoned buildings. Other persons that will be
counted as homeless include persons residing in an emergency
shelter, domestic violence shelter, shelters for runaway or
homeless youth, and persons enrolled in a transitional housing
program who originally came from the streets or emergency shelters.
Homeless persons who are in hospital emergency rooms or
participating in the "Room in the Inn" program during the hours of
the count will also be counted.
In 2009, 2,181 persons were identified as homeless. 195 were
unsheltered.
How will the Homeless Count be
done?
On the evening of the count, hundreds of trained volunteers will
go to one of two staging areas to check in and receive their
Homeless Count packets of maps, instructions, count survey forms
and deploy to their assigned areas to conduct the census of the
unsheltered homeless. They will canvass the entire mapped
area and interview homeless persons that they encounter. They will
engage homeless persons and let them know the purpose of the count
and ask the questions on the count survey form and return that
night to the staging area with their results.
The count of the sheltered homeless, those residing in
emergency shelters and in transitional housing programs will be
taken from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) a
database of homeless clients and services used by all homeless
service providers. A majority of adults in the shelters will
also be surveyed by agency staff and volunteers.
When is training available for the Homeless
Count?
Training will be conducted the NIGHT OF the
count from 6-7 pm AT THE STAGING AREAS. Training will also
be conducted online Webinar via the Internet on:
Saturday, January
15th 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
Monday, January
17th 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January
19th 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January
26th 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Register for the webinars at: Http://www.AHomeWithHope.org
When will the results of the Homeless Count be
reported?
The HMIS reports, combined with the results of the unsheltered
count will be compiled and analyzed by the Tarrant County Homeless
Coalition. Preliminary results of the 2010 Homeless Count will be
presented at the "State of the Homeless" Address and Public Forum
on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 beginning at 9:30 a.m. at The
Salvation Army Mabee Center.
This guide describes methods for organizing and
counting the unsheltered homeless. Information about
these approaches was gathered from communities throughout the
country; examples of their methods are provided throughout the
guide.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development released the
first edition of this guide in October 2004 and the second edition
in September 2006. This updated version clarifies HUD standards for
counting homeless persons moving forward.
HUD Guide to Counting the Sheltered Homeless
People
This guide helps Continuums of Care (CoCs) prepare annual
applications for homeless assistance funds and meet Congressional
directives to improve the quality of information on
homelessness.
The Continuum of Care Application for McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance requires CoCs to produce statistically reliable,
unduplicated counts or estimates of homeless persons in sheltered
and unsheltered locations on a single night. CoCs are also asked to
report the number of homeless persons in subpopulation categories:
chronically homeless, severely mentally ill, chronic substance
abusers, veterans, persons with HIV/AIDS, victims of domestic
violence, and unaccompanied youth (under 18 years of age).
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