1. PIT Volunteer Training
2018 Point-in-Time Count of UNSHELTERED Persons Experiencing Homelessness
PIT Volunteer Training
for Eastern PA Continuum of Care
and Western PA Continuum of Care
by Diana T. Myers & Associates, Inc. (DMA)
on behalf of the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED)
This training is to be provided by each County to volunteers participating in the 2018 unsheltered point-in-time count.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

2. Overview of Point-in-Time Count
“Point-in-Time” (PIT) = a snapshot of the number of people experiencing homelessness on a given night
Required by HUD nationally during last 10 days of January
Includes people sleeping in:
sheltered locations. This can include emergency shelters, domestic violence shelters, sometimes motels, transitional housing
unsheltered locations. You will count people experiencing homelessness in unsheltered locations.
As a snapshot, the PIT count does not provide all possible information about homelessness, but when done consistently over the years (same time of year with reliable methodology and high data quality standards), it does provide important comparative information.
The PIT Count has 2 components:
The “sheltered count” includes people sleeping in sheltered locations, which can include emergency shelters, domestic violence shelters, motel/hotels for which government or charitable funding is being used to pay for the motel. The sheltered count is conducted through interviews with each household sheltered on the PIT night. These interviews are conducted by individuals employed by or volunteering with the referenced program types.
The “unsheltered count”, which is the focus of this PowerPoint and the PIT webinar, which is archived on the CoC website.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

3. The Unsheltered Count: Introduction
What does unsheltered mean?
An individual or family staying the night in a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings
What does count mean?
Obtaining basic demographic information on each person and household
Our “count” is more than enumerating people experiencing homelessness – we also collect data to answer questions of “who” is homeless and “where” are they located.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

4. The Unsheltered Count – Why?
Federal requirement
To inform local and regional planning
To obtain an accurate picture of homelessness in our community
To identify unmet needs
To obtain data required for funding applications
To increase community awareness of homelessness
To increase community and stakeholder involvement
As a tool for advocacy
The Regional Homeless Advisory Board (RHAB) and the Continuum of Care (CoC) are responsible for planning for shelter, housing, and services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in this community. The RHAB and CoC are made up of nonprofit organizations along with local government agencies and other community groups concerned about homelessness, such as health care and school districts.
Once finalized, the PIT data is submitted to HUD and provided to the CoC, RHABs and individual counties to plan to meet the needs of homeless people and ultimately end homelessness.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

5. The Unsheltered Count – When?
HUD requires the PIT count date to be a single day during the last 10 days of January.
In our county, and throughout much of Pennsylvania, the count is conducted the fourth Wednesday night of January.
2018 PIT date = January 24, 2018
This means the overnight hours between Wednesday night (January 24) and Thursday morning (January 25)
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

6. Unsheltered Street-Based Count
Seeking out people sleeping outside & other unsheltered locations
Examples provided on next slide
May be conducted the night of Wednesday, January 24 and/or any time on Thursday, January 25
January 24: You will ask, “Where will you sleep tonight?”
January 25: You will ask, “Where did you sleep last tonight?”
Note to County Coordinator: This slide and slide 7 are specific to the “street-based” count. Slides 8 and 9 cover the “service-based” count. Please only cover the slide(s) applicable to the methodology being used in your county.
Please modify these slides based on the timing you are using in your county. If you are conducting a street-based count, you should be conducting your count on Wednesday night, January 24 and/or anytime on January 25.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

7. Unsheltered Street-Based Count
Where will we find families and individuals who are experiencing homelessness?
You will be assigned to a particular area of the county where you will seek people staying in the following types of places:
Streets
Vehicles
Parks
Hunting cabins
Tents
Campgrounds
Barns
Truck Stops
Abandoned buildings
Transportation depots
Chicken coops
Railroad cars
Storage units
Lumberyards
Notes to County Coordinators: Delete or skip this slide if you are not utilizing a street-based count.
If Street-Based Count: In addition to the examples provided you may want to highlight specific locations to be targeted in your county.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

8. Unsheltered Service-Based Count
Conducted at places providing services to persons experiencing homelessness
Must occur on January 25, 2018
You will ask, “Where did you sleep last night?”
Note to County Coordinator: This slide and slide 9 are specific to the “service-based” count. Please only cover these slides if you are conducting this type of count.
If Service-Based Count: On January 25, we will interview people at such service locations as soup kitchens, food pantries, health care clinics, multi-service agencies, or public libraries and ask them where they slept LAST night. Specific service assignments will be made shortly.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

9. Unsheltered Service-Based Count
Examples of “service-based” locations include:
soup kitchens
food pantries
health care clinics
service agencies
public libraries
other
Note to County Coordinators: Delete or skip this slide if you are not utilizing a service-based count.
If Service-Based Count: In addition to the examples provided, you may want to discuss the service locations being utilized during your county’s service-based count.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

10. The Unsheltered Count – Who?
All household types should be included in the count:
Families with children
Couples, married and unmarried
Single individuals
Multi-generational
Youth
“Household” is a general term used throughout these slides. It refers to any type of household unit, such as families with children, married or unmarried couples, single individuals, and teenagers not accompanied by an adult. Any group of people who identify as a household should be counted as such, regardless of gender, race, marital status, etc. Each household is counted only once!
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

11. Who is considered a Youth Household?
Youth households may be:
Parent(s) aged 24 or younger with child(ren)
Single adults aged 18-24
Teenager under age 17 or child, or group of teenagers or children, who are not accompanied by an adult
Use the same interview form for youth households, adult households, and families.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

12. The Unsheltered Count – What?
What information are we collecting?
# persons in household
For each person in household:
Age ● Gender
Ethnicity ● Race
For each adult in household:
Veteran Status
Length of time homeless
# of homeless episodes
Disability
Fleeing Domestic Violence (if seems safe)
All of this is clearly indicated on the forms you will use to record the information. We will be looking at each question on the form in just a few minutes.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

13. The Unsheltered Count – Gender
Gender identity is a sensitive issue and volunteers must be non-judgmental and respectful of anyone being interviewed.
Definitions included on Interview Form:
Transgender: A general term used to describe people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth.
Gender non-conforming: Indicate this option if someone being interviewed does not describe their gender as either male, female, or transgendered.
Note to County Coordinators: A significant percentage of youth experiencing homelessness (ages 18-24) are reported to be LGBT. Youth and other individuals may not feel safe identifying as “transgender” or “gender non-conforming” when being interviewed. When asking for gender, Count Volunteers should offer all four possible responses – male, female, transgender, and gender non-conforming – and record any answer provided, even if that response does not seem consistent with the outer appearance of the individual being interviewed.
If you have a local volunteer that is knowledgeable about these types of issues, it may be worthwhile to ask them to further define/discuss the terms described on this slide. In addition, it should be conveyed to all volunteers that gender identity can be a sensitive issue for some individuals.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

14. The Unsheltered Count – How?
How will we obtain the information?
Brief interviews – preferred
Complete one Interview Form for each household
If a household has more than five members please record additional data on a second form, clearly indicating that they are part of same household
Observation – if an interview is not possible or an individual does not agree to interview
Complete one Observation Form for each household observed to be in an unsheltered location but not interviewed
It is preferred that everyone be interviewed if at all possible, as this provides the highest quality information and most complete information.
However, if an interview is not possible because the person is sleeping, or refuses to be interviewed, or if there is a concern about safety or safely accessing the specific location, then please fill out an Observation Form.
Note to Coordinator: There are four different types of interview forms – 1) Street-based count occurring on Wednesday night, 2) Street-based count occurring on Thursday, 3) Observation only, and 4) Service-based. Please make sure to only provide volunteers with the type of interview forms based on the type of count being conducted.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

15. Interviews: Step-by-Step
Introduce yourself by your first name and politely ask for 5-10 minutes of time.
Inform individual, “We are conducting a count and simple survey of people who are experiencing homelessness.”
“Your participation will help provide better programs and services for people who are homeless.”
“Your name will not be used.”
Note to County Coordinator:
This script is also on the Interview Forms. Hand out a blank Interview Form to your volunteers, so they can follow along the next several slides.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

16. The Interview Form: Detail
Write your county name at the top left.
Please write your initials or team name/number on the top of the form.
In order prevent potentially double counting an individual or household, please ask if they have already completed this or similar interview form with anyone else during the PIT count.
It may be helpful to hold the form up for them to see
Note to county coordinator: Prior to making copies, please write your county name in the space provided at the top left.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

17. The Interview Form: Detail
In addition to checking off the appropriate unsheltered location, please also jot down any details about location.
This information is used to ensure a household is not double counted.
Please provide as much identifying information as possible.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

18. The Interview Form: Detail
Ask every question.
Initials only, no name
Age – Estimate if person does not reveal
Gender – ask if male, female, transgender, or does not identify as male or female
Ethnicity – Hispanic/Latino or non-Hispanic/Latino
Race – Read list out loud and check all that apply. This list is from HUD.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

19. The Interview Form – Detail
Questions related to the length of time homeless and number of homeless episodes: This may be difficult to recall. It is OK if you believe someone is estimating or not 100% certain about their responses.
When asking about the # of times homeless in the last three years, it may be helpful to indicate that this refers to the period of time since January 2015
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

20. The Interview Form: Veterans
Please offer to provide each Veteran or service member with the phone number of the VA’s National Call Center for Homeless Veterans, which is provided on each Interview Form.
We recommend that you write the phone # down on a card such as 3x5 index card and give it to each Veteran.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

21. The Interview Form: Disability
Read the questions as they are written and check “yes” or “no” based on the information provided by the individual.
Do not ask follow up questions regarding the nature or severity of the person’s disability.
All disability-related questions should be asked of every person being interviewed.
When asking disability-related questions, please do not ask any questions about the nature or severity of the person’s disability. Instead, check either “yes” or “no” based on the information the individual has provided. (When in doubt, make a note.)
Also, all disability-related questions should be asked of every person being interviewed. Please do not assume that someone does or does not have a disability based on your observation or assessment.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

22. The Interview Form: Detail
Do not ask about disability, veteran status, and domestic violence of children who are in a household with their parents.
If a child/teenager (under 18) is alone or only with other children, ask about disability status.
Do not ask the question about domestic violence if there is the possibility that answering the question may jeopardize a person’s safety.
Note to County Coordinator: If you have a Domestic Violence provider in your community, it would be beneficial to have a representative from that organization provide examples of warning signs for recognizing that asking the DV-related question could put the victim at risk.
If you do not have a domestic violence provider who can fulfill this function, please review Mae-Ling Kranz’s presentation during the 2017 PIT count webinar, which will provide you with examples.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

23. Observations – Overview For Street Count ONLY
Estimate demographic information as best as possible.
Information you collect will be aggregated with other Unsheltered Count information for your county.
Note to County Coordinator:
It is important to respect the privacy of all individuals. Please use the Observation Point in Time Survey to obtain information about individuals who are asleep, hostile or do not agree to be interviewed.
Additionally, if an individual or household is in a location that you cannot safely access, please use the observation form.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

24. At the conclusion of your count
Please turn all forms in to:
___Insert Name for your County________
NOTE: Fill in name and/or contact information on this slide prior to your presentation of these slides.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

25. Safety Considerations
Be courteous and considerate.
You are entering the space or “turf” of the person(s) sleeping there.
A large team of people is intimidating.
If in a group, only one person should ask the interview questions.
No confrontations or arguments with belligerent or frightened person.
Do not enter unsafe areas.
Note to County Coordinator:
Explain safety protocol and safeguards – for example, if police are aware of the count.
Volunteers should not attempt to access locations considered to be unsafe. This may include areas such as abandoned buildings, or an encampment or tent city unless it has been pre-determined to be safe.
We do not expect any problems or issues.
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training

26. THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF THE 2018 UNSHELTERED HOMELESS COUNT!
FINALLY...
THANK YOU for
Giving your time
Caring
Helping
Showing up!
THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF THE 2018 UNSHELTERED HOMELESS COUNT!
2018 Unsheltered PIT Count: Volunteer Training