Every Georgian Counts :

Understanding Homelessness in Your

Community

Who Are Georgia’s Homeless?

Unsheltered Homeless* Streets * Camping * Car * Substandard

Housing *

Sheltered Homeless* Emergency Shelter * Transitional Housing * Motel

Vouchers *

Precariously Housed* Doubled Up * Motels *

Definitions• Sheltered Homeless Persons

• People who reside in an emergency shelter or in transitional/supportive housing for homeless persons

• Unsheltered Homeless Persons • People who reside in a place not meant for human

habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned buildings, encampments, dilapidated buildings [or who face eminent homelessness from eviction]

• Precariously Housed Persons• People who are temporarily staying with family or friends due to loss of housing or economic hardship• People who are living in motel situations due to loss of housing or economic hardship

2009 Georgia Homeless Count

Who is at risk for becoming homeless?

People with low incomeso 1.3 million living in poverty in

Georgiao 595,665 people in Georgia have

incomes ½ the poverty levelo Georgia’s Housing Wage: $29,084People with personal vulnerabilitieso Mental illnesso Substance abuseo Family violence

Statewide Estimates• Data compiled from

2007 and 2008 counts • Model for unsheltered

homeless plus shelter count

• Over 20,000 people at a single point in time

• Estimated that over 75,000 people will be homeless in Georgia sometime during the year

Why Does This Matter?

Reasons to Understand Homelessness in your Community • Increased Funding/Resources• Long Term Community Planning• Development of a Ten Year Plan• Hidden Costs• Economic Benefits• Community Collaboration• Awareness

Costs of homelessness• Study of Athens hospitals (Athens

Regional and St. Mary's) – 576 homeless people made 7,000 visits in 2005

• $2.4 million spent in 2005 by Athens hospitals

• Burke County – night of January 27, 2008112 inmates/25 were homeless

Methods for Understanding Homelessness

Overview of Common Methods to Understand Homelessness in Your

Community• Service Count

• Surveys collected by service providers over a designated period of time asking about homelessness on a certain night

• Street Count• One night census of unsheltered living on

streets and in woods• In-depth Survey

• Administered to a sample of individuals asking detailed questions

• Homeless Management Information Systems• Collects information about

individuals/families served

Service Count Methodology for Unsheltered and Precariously Housed

• Housing screening surveys administered at service locations and other places where homeless people congregate or live

• Point In Time • Surveys collected during the

following week

January 2008 Service Count: Dalton-Whitfield

• Collected 417 surveys• Identified 180 homeless persons• 40 agencies throughout the county

participated• Part of the work of the Committee for

Housing Stability (created in 2005)• Count part of larger community effort

to work cooperatively to address housing issues

• Lead agency – Dalton/Whitfield County Community Development Corporation

Street Count Methodology: Atlanta• One night canvassing of City• Volunteers, Service Providers and

Formerly Homeless Individuals participate

• Collects a count of any individuals/families that are obviously unsheltered on the night of the count• Sleeping on the streets, in cars or in

structures not suitable for human habitation

• Individuals/Families are not approached and all demographics are collected based on observation only

Mixed Methodology: Gwinnett County

• Surveys administered at service locations

• Collected surveys at locations where homeless individuals/families were known to stay

• Collected surveys at hotel/motels where they knew families were living

• Planning an in-depth survey with a sample of individuals/families based on results of service based count

January 2008 Homeless Count

January 2008 Homeless Count Surveys• 1578 surveys collected (by DCA

and in 33 counties)• 2,041 people

Housing Status

Precariously Housed

Sheltered Homeless

Unsheltered Homeless

Housing Status

Undetermined861 428 556 196

2008 Homeless Surveys by Age

How many are homeless in Georgia?• Data compiled

from 2007 and 2008 counts

• About 20,400 people at a single point in time

• About 75,000 people will be homeless in Georgia sometime during the year

Costs of homelessness• Study of Athens hospitals (Athens

Regional and St. Mary’s) – 576 homeless people made 7,000 visits in 2005

• $2.4 million spent in 2005 by Athens hospitals

• Burke County – night of January 27, 2008112 inmates/25 were homeless

2009 Homeless CountObjective -- Count of homeless families and individuals

•Understand the scope of the problem locally and statewide•HUD requirement for McKinney-Vento Programs

2009 Georgia Homeless Count

January 2009 Homeless Count

Why Participate? (not in order of importance)• Learn more about housing issues

in your community• Build a housing and social services

team around a concrete activity• Build your case for funding• Get ready for the 2010 Census• Build community support• Develop data for local

comprehensive plans and consolidated plans (entitlement communities)

2009 Georgia Homeless Count

Count Methodology for Unsheltered and Precariously Housed

• Housing screening surveys administered at service locations and other places where homeless people congregate or live

• Point In Time – January 25, 2009• Surveys collected during the

following week• DCA will arrange for data input and

analysis of surveys

2009 Georgia Homeless Count

Questionnaire• Designed to be administered by

staff or by volunteers• No more than 10 minutes• Questions to help with problem of duplication• Housing status questions• Family members • Special circumstances

2009 Georgia Homeless Count

Who Is Surveyed?Screening Question: Have

you had any difficulty with housing in the past month?

2009 Georgia Homeless Count

Where To Survey• Where people go for services• Where people congregate• On the telephone• Where people live -- Count people

living in dilapidated housing, abandoned trailers, farm buildings, or encampments

2009 Georgia Homeless Count

Preparing for the Count• Potential participating

organizations/locations for administering the survey• DFACS• Housing Authority• Food Pantries and Soup Kitchens• Clothing Programs• Shelters• Community Service Boards• Health Department• Nonprofits• Day Labor Sites

2009 Georgia Homeless Count

Other contacts• Local government• Police Chief and Sheriff• Media• Churches• Family Connections• School and hospital social workers• Others

2009 Georgia Homeless Count

What a Successful Count Needs

• All of the identified organizations on-board and organized to collect the surveys

• Trained staff and volunteers• Community support• Planning well in advance of PIT• Incentives for some locations

2009 Georgia Homeless Count

Timeline• Decision to Count – August 2008• Count Coordinator Training –

September 2009• Monthly Conference Calls –

October-December 2008• Training Volunteers – January 2009• Count – January 26-January 30 (PIT

Jan. 25)• Submit Data – February 2009• Results Back – May 2009

Contact: Lindsey Stillmanlstillma@dca.state.ga.us

404-327-6813

Want to be part of the 2009 count?

2009 Georgia Homeless Count