Guidelines for

Homeless Youth Population Survey  

A Project of the Garden State Coalition 
for Youth and Family Concerns, Inc.
330 Washington Street
Newark, NJ  07102 (973) 286-3404

XI APPENDICES

A.  Questionnaire Rationale

 There are several assumptions regarding this questionnaire: 

1. Homeless definition.  We need, under HUD guidelines, to show that the individual fits the definition of homeless. Questions 31 and related questions in combination with questions 12,13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19 would address HUD’s definition.

 2.  Measures of risk.  Since the survey is also aimed at identifying youth at risk of being homeless a number of such measures are included.  The combination of core questions include 12,  13, 14, 15, 16, when combined with 20-22 (foster care), 23-25 (juvenile justice system, and 26-28 (prison/jail) provide the basis for developing a risk profile of youth in danger of becoming homeless.

3.  Components of Continuum and Services. We need to indicate the need for particular services out of which we can develop and refine a continuum of care.  There are four components to the continuum of care: outreach programs (currently the street outreach programs); basic walk-in centers; transitional living programs and permanent housing.  What the questions suggest are the services that will accompany these four basic areas 

            Set: 10,11 (education)

            Set:18, 19 (health)

            Set: 15, 16, 17, 20-22, (transition /supportive housing)

            Set: 10, 11,18, 19 (job training)

            Set: 20-22 (life skills)           

The questionnaire is not designed to document all the reasons why youths are homeless.  Question 14 and those related to foster care and incarceration (23-31) gets into some of this but is intended to identify those at risk.   There is ample data on why youth become homeless. 

Identifiers.  The questionnaire has a number of identifiers to sort out duplication.  These identifiers  are 6,7,8,9,10,11, 36.  Others can be used.   

Point-in-time. The challenge is to maintain a point in time reference while conducting this survey over a three to four week period. The critical question is how over a period of three to four weeks as we collect this data can we state that methodologically this can be interpreted as point prevalence or point-in-time  See attached HUD regulation. 

Other aspects of the count.  Other components include:  those coming out of juvenile justice and prison, those leaving DYFS.  How these data are collected must reflect the point in time requirement.

Back to X Methodology

Next Section: XIb Interviewer's Guide