Serving Youth in an Economic Downturn
How Many Homeless Youth Are There in My Community?
Those who work with homeless youth often face that valid question. The answers may make the difference in advocating for more resources to serve them. Communities need accurate data to determine the size and scope of the problem and to plan services and programs to meet the needs of local homeless youth.
So just how many homeless youth are out there?
Not Quite as Easy as 1, 2, 3
There are several methods for identifying, counting and learning something about homeless young people in your community.
Point-in-time surveys count sheltered and unsheltered homeless people on one single day or (more typically) night of the year. In point-in-time surveys, volunteers canvass a geographic region (could be a few city blocks or a few square miles in a more rural area) and literally count the number of homeless people they see over a certain period of time.
Some surveys simply involve a count. Others, through interviews, gather descriptive information on those counted, such as demographic data, service use and needs.
Sheltered Versus Unsheltered Homeless Youth
Counting sheltered homeless youth is generally easier than counting unsheltered homeless youth because programs routinely track the number of youth served on any given night. Programs may decide to gather additional data on specific subpopulations, based on interviewing each client or a sample of clients or based on case records.
But counting unsheltered homeless youth can be trickier. Counts can be conducted “on the street” or at non-shelter service locations, such as soup kitchens, health care centers, or other drop-in centers.
Some challenges include:
- Relying on physical observations of homelessness. It can be tricky to determine who is actually homeless.
- Taking into account safety concerns and other practical considerations. Volunteers typically do not have access to all of the areas where homeless youth congregate.
- Avoiding counting the same person twice or correcting for possible double counting once the count is complete.
- In rural areas, knowing where to look for homeless youth or reaching far-off and potentially remote locations.
Some Solutions
Define who you’re counting. Homeless youth are generally defined as those youth who have little or no connection with their families or caretakers and lack adult supervision. This definition doesn’t include the youth who are homeless with their families. However, data on family homelessness generally appear to revolve around families being housed in emergency shelters and transitional housing, missing those living in their cars, with relatives, or in motels.
Some communities try to count homeless people because it’s a requirement for receiving funds under the Continuum of Care programs, administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
According to HUD, people count as homeless if they are in
- Emergency shelters
- Transitional housing, including hotel or motel rooms paid for by vouchers
- “Places not meant for human habitation such as cars, parks, abandoned buildings and on the street”
But youth workers know that homeless youth can often be found doubled up with friends. These youth are harder to find, but it’s important to recognize that they’re out there. Be clear about who you will include in your count and acknowledge who you may not be counting.
Consider what categories work for you. LaKesha Pope, youth program and policy analyst at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, also says not to feel boxed in by existing definitions and categories.
For example, Pope says HUD has its own categories based on age: under age 18, those 18 to 30 years, 31 to 50 years, and so on. But she suggests breaking down the 18- to 30-year-old category further, or having a youth category including people up to 24 years. That’s because youth workers say that young adults, even up to age 24, often need the same services to help them become self-sufficient as those offered to younger homeless adolescents.
Pope also offers the following tips on counting homeless youth in your community.
If you don’t have a street outreach team, work with a program that does. Outreach workers in a particular city or area know the best places to find young people on the streets. And they have established relationships with many of them. They are experts in approaching folks on the street and building trust, says Tracesee Slater at Urban Peak in Denver. Although counting is not the same as conducting outreach, you still don’t want to walk up to youth on the street and just ask if they are homeless. There is a way to approach people that will make them feel more comfortable talking with you, she says. Street outreach workers can help train volunteer counters.
Partner with a local university or community college in your area. Most youth programs don’t have research expertise on site. And they may not have the staff resources to canvass a large area. But a university may be willing to help develop surveys, conduct quantitative analysis, or even help with the counting. Students can be asked to volunteer (or a professor might even make it a class requirement). You can start by looking for a professor or researcher, perhaps in a department of sociology or psychology, who has a particular interest in poverty, homelessness or youth.
Enlist volunteers. Ask local stakeholders, particularly homeless youth service providers, but also other social service agencies and community members, to work with you to plan, organize and conduct the count. Let them know how you want to use the information and what you hope to accomplish. If you plan together, you will probably come up with many ways your community will be able to use the information collected.
And with a more accurate count of homeless youth, funders and service providers will be better able to target resources to the youth who need them.
For sample data collection instruments and other resources, see HUD’s A Guide to Counting Unsheltered Homeless People Second Revision.
HUD also recently published the 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, which provides the latest counts and characteristics of homeless people nationwide.
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