Every Georgian Counts : Understanding Homelessness in Your Community

1. Every Georgian Counts :Understanding Homelessness in Your Community

2. 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 *

3. 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

4. Who is at risk for becoming homeless? • People with low incomes • 1.3 million living in poverty in Georgia • 595,665 people in Georgia have incomes ½ the poverty level • Georgia’s Housing Wage: $29,084 • People with personal vulnerabilities • Mental illness • Substance abuse • Family violence

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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, 2008 112 inmates/25 were homeless

8. Methods for Understanding Homelessness

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. January 2008 Homeless Count

15. January 2008 Homeless Count Surveys • 1578 surveys collected (by DCA and in 33 counties) • 2,041 people Housing Status

16. 2008 Homeless Surveys by Age

17. 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

18. 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, 2008 112 inmates/25 were homeless

19. 2009 Homeless Count Objective -- 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

20. January 2009 Homeless Count

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. Who Is Surveyed? Screening Question: Have you had any difficulty with housing in the past month? 2009 Georgia Homeless Count

25. 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

26. 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

27. Other contacts • Local government • Police Chief and Sheriff • Media • Churches • Family Connections • School and hospital social workers • Others 2009 Georgia Homeless Count

28. 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

29. 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

30. Contact: Lindsey Stillmanlstillma@dca.state.ga.us404-327-6813 Want to be part of the 2009 count? 2009 Georgia Homeless Count