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2015 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count
January 27, 28, & 29, 2015
www.theycountwillyou.org
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Training for Count Volunteers
Welcome!
• Introductions
Meet your trainer
Ask them:
o Your name, community
o Is this your first count?
o Why are you counting? Note: Since 2005, LAHSA has been mandated to conduct a count every 2 years.This is the 6th Homeless Count in Los Angeles County.
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Why do we count?
• Understanding the number of homeless people in
our community helps to address the issue
• Allows us to see progress from previous years,
measure success, and tailor programs to meet the
needs of homeless people in Los Angeles
• Counting brings federal, state, and local funding to
homeless service and housing providers
• Knowing our homeless neighbors better is the best
way for us to improve services and housing.
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Where and when do we count?
• All of LA County, except Glendale, Long Beach, and Pasadena (they do their own counts)
• Every two years
Street Count – January 27, 28 & 29, 2015
Shelter Count – January 27, 28 & 29, 2015
Youth Count - January 27, 2015
Demographic Surveys – January to February
2015
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How do we count? It’s as easy as…
1. Select an area
2. Walk, Drive*
3. Count and tally
*must get out and walk areas with likelihood of finding homeless
persons
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Schedule for the Night • 8:00 pm – Check In
• 8:15 pm – Train
• 9:00pm – Team Up and Count!
Each team will be given a map of the area they
will count and materials to tally. Walk and/or
drive to your area, and then count in every street,
alley, and park.
• Return to the deployment site after you finish counting your area (usually takes about three hrs)
All team members need to return to the site to
check in with the coordinator
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Teams
• Count Teams:
There can be up to four people per team: one
driver, one navigator, and two counters. If you
find you have two or three people to make up a
team, that can be done as well. At a minimum, 2
people form a team. A detailed census tract map,
with grid to cover, will be provided to each team,
along with a clipboard, pencils, flashlights, tally
sheet and 211 cards.
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Job Descriptions/Roles
• Driver: The driver's only job in the enumeration is
to drive their team safely around the map area
assigned. Driver will park and walk tract with
other volunteers
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Job Descriptions
• Navigator: The navigator will help the driver
navigate around the assigned map and will keep
track of what areas of the map have already been
canvassed. The navigator should also assist in
finding homeless persons.
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Job Descriptions
• Counters (2 per team): The Counters will be
responsible for observing and documenting the
number, gender, and age group of those observed. It
will be the Counter’s decision about whom to classify
as homeless during the observational count. In
addition, the counter will be responsible for tallying
the information.
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Who do we count?
• We will visually count:
Homeless People
o Individuals
o Families
o Youth
Numbers of vehicles used as homes.
Number of tents and make-shift shelters (any makeshift shelter,
such as cardboard boxes, tarps, tents, etc.)
o Unless from a respectful distance you can see how many
people there are, in the case of cars, vans, campers, RVs, or
make-shift shelters, only count and tally the car, etc.
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DO NOT DISTURB!
• Do not approach individuals and ask them if they
are homeless. Observe and tally only
• Keep a respectful distance at all times
• Flashlights are for paper, not people
• We will provide you with a 211 Referral Card that
you may give to a homeless person who requests
information
• If someone asks for immediate assistance, contact
your Deployment Site Coordinator
Team will be sent to location
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Where to look?
• Where would you sleep if you were
living on the streets and needed to
be safe from the elements?
Riverbeds
Freeways underpasses
Parks
Alleys
Behind Stores/Churches
Metro/bus stops
Other?
• Remember, you count only within
your assigned area (inside dashed
area)
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• DO NOT:
Abandoned buildings
go into private
property
Climb fences
Enter construction
areas
How do I know if they’re Homeless? • Appearance
Wearing many layers of
clothing/blankets
In poor physical condition,
hygiene
Weathered skin
Lots of stuff
• Behavior
Sleeping or lying down on the
ground or on a bench
Pushing a cart or carrying many
belongings
• Condition (vehicles)
Blankets on the windows of cars
or vans
Cars packed with belongings
Fogged up windows
Campers or RVs in disrepair,
parked with many similar vehicles
Appearance Behavior
Condition
Use your best judgment and the ABCs:
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Vehicles • Vehicles include Cars, Vans, or RVs/Campers
• As you canvass your area, please notice the vehicles to see if anyone is sleeping in them.
• Hints that people are sleeping in a vehicle: Registration expired/no license Poor condition of vehicle Windows covered up for privacy and will almost have
condensation when occupied Furniture out front Debris Not in residential areas Almost always more than one together In Parking Lots
• Unless from a respectful distance you can see how many people there are only count and tally the vehicle
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Make-shift Shelters
• A make-shift shelter is any collection of items
(bedroll, blankets, shopping carts, boxes,
dumpster, etc.) compiled, constructed, and used as
a home by a homeless person at an outdoor
locations.
• Unless from a respectful distance you can see how
many people there are in the make-shift shelter,
only count and tally the make-shift shelter itself.
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Top of the Tally Sheet
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You Fill-In
You Fill-In
You Fill-In
You Fill-In
You Fill-In DONE
DONE DONE
Tally Sheet: Families
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Note: If you encounter more than 5 families, use the back of the tally sheet.
Counting Example • Make a judgment call – are they homeless?
If yes, decide if they are a family or individual(s).
If not, don’t count them!
• Make a judgment call – are people sleeping in the
vehicle?
If you CAN see people complete the individual or
family section of the tally sheet
If you CANNOT see people fill out the vehicle,
tents, and make-shift shelter section of the tally sheet
o Do not double count
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Ambiguous Situations
• If you don’t see any persons in a vehicle or make
shift shelter, count it as one vehicle/make shift
shelter
• If you see two or more persons, count them as
individuals. DO NOT count them as vehicle/make
shift shelter
Avoid double counting
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QUIZ: Ambiguous Situations – Vehicles
• Scenario 1 – one vehicle, identified one person, looks
like more than one person; how do you count them?
Count as one vehicle in vehicle section of tally
sheet
• Scenario 2 – one vehicle, identified two people,
looks like there are no more people; how do you
count them?
Count as two individual people in individual
section of tally sheet
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QUIZ: Ambiguous Situations – Make-shift Shelters
• Scenario 3 – identified one person, looks like more
than one person; how do you count them?
Count as a make-shift shelter
• Scenario 4 – identified two people, looks like there
are no more people; how do you count them?
Count as two individual people
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Keep in Mind • Must get out of the car to Count
Even driving tracts – look for areas where they
may be sleeping and get out to count (i.e.
churches, metro/bus stops, etc.)
• Use your best judgment – look at the whole
environment and remember your ABC’s
• Zero is a valid number
• Manage your time – if you need help covering your
area, call your Site Coordinator
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Be Safe!
• Stick together! Never be on your own.
• Avoid any situation in which you are uncomfortable. Don’t
take risks
• Call your coordinator if you have a problem; call 911 or the
dispatch number you are given if you have a true emergency
• If you are unable to count an area due to safety concerns
CALL your coordinator and MARK the area on the map
• Law enforcement (Sheriff, LAPD and City Police
Departments) have been notified and will be patrolling the
areas
• Secure deployment centers
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Media
• In the unlikely event that you are approached by a
reporter:
Feel free to talk to them about your volunteer
experience, if you feel comfortable.
Provide them with the name and number of your
Deployment Site Coordinator to connect them
with a media spokesperson who can provide
them with more information about the count, if
they ask questions you can’t answer.
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Release, Indemnity, And Waiver of Liability Agreement
• Everyone received a waiver form at the sign in
table.
• Please take a moment to review and sign the
waiver.
• We will collect them as you are deployed to count.
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