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

Funded By:  New School University-  Robert J. Milano School of Urban Policy & Management United States Department of Housing & Urban Development Dissemination Funded by Administration for Children and Families / Family Youth Services Bureau T/TA Grant   Authored By:   Dennis A. Derryck, Ph.D.   Lisa Eisenbud, M.S.W     Acknowledgements:   Anchor House, Trenton NJ   CEPAC, Camden NJ   Horizon Health Center, Jersey City NJ                                                                                                                                     Table of Contents   I. FORWARD II. PURPOSE III. OUTCOMES IV. BASIC ASSUMPTIONS  V. TIME PERIOD OF SURVEY VI. SCOPE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION VII. STREET OUTREACH VIII. SHELTERS AND FOOD KITCHENS IX. INSTITUTIONS POLICE DEPARTMENTS FOSTER CARE JUVENILE JUSTICE  ADULT PRISON SYSTEM SCHOOL SYSTEM X. METHODOLOGY XI. APPENDICES a) QUESTIONNAIRE RATIONAL  b) INTERVIEWER'S GUIDE c) INSTRUCTIONS d) QUESTIONNAIRE e) SAMPLE TRAINING AGENDA   Forward  The Garden State Coalition for Youth and Family Concerns Inc. (GSC) and the New Jersey Department of Housing and Urban Development initiated a working group to work on the issue of homeless youth from Fall 1998 through Spring 1999. Members of the group include the Department of Community Affairs, the Juvenile Justice Commission, the New Jersey Department of Labor and the New Jersey Department of Youth and Family Services.  Since then, GSC has sought input from Hudson, Camden, and Mercer counties and has received extensive technical assistance and resources from the New School University in New York City.  These collaborations have led to the creation of an inexpensive and technically sound model for counting homeless youth in myriad communities.   Nature of the Problem  In the State of New Jersey, the number of homeless youth is estimated to be approximately 13,000.  Estimates and information based solely on expert opinion, and not incidences of service use, is not acceptable data through which communities can build their case for federal funds.  Federal agencies, including the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development  (HUD), require each county to gather specific data on the state’s homeless population.  While there is compliance with these regulations, current methodologies for counting the homeless are not designed to include the sub-population of homeless youth.  Across the country, homeless youth have been undercounted and homeless youth serving agencies have underutilized HUD programming.  It is our goal that this methodology will assist New Jersey in building a continuum of care for homeless and aging-out youth which will serve as a national model, leading the way for communities across the country to assess and plan to assist youth toward stable productive adulthood.     Context The efforts of the working group to explore new ways of counting homeless youth represent only one part of a more complex set of actions that are being undertaken by GSC to educate the public and initiate public policy on behalf of better serving homeless youth in New Jersey.  These efforts include the 1999 passage of the New Jersey Homeless Youth Act, which ensured a young person’s right to seek the safety of a crisis shelter.  This Legislation also created a funding stream for new services for homeless youth throughout the State of New Jersey.   Working Assumption The underlying premise of the working group reflected in this effort to count homeless youth, is that funding from all federal agencies (US Departments of Health and Human Services, Education and Housing and Urban Development) requires state and local jurisdictions to report data and show gaps in services as a condition for funding eligibility. Validation of Assumption While homeless data is generally reported, current methodology does not capture the numbers or needs of homeless youth.  Youth unaccompanied by adults generally do not frequent adult shelter and soup kitchens, where most data is collected.  Within existing reporting methods there is little that speaks to the needs of homeless youth.  As a result, homeless youth are seldom if ever in the continuum of care plans of communities across counties and states throughout the country.  This is reflected in funding patterns.  In FY ’98, HUD made grants to the State of New Jersey of approximately $192 million in four program areas in which funds could be utilized for homeless youth .   In FY ’98, we estimated that approximately $1 million of these funds were directed to homeless youth from the $22.7 million given directly to this population under the Homeless Continuum of Care in the State.  In the other three areas we are unable to identify any funds being used for homeless youth.    HUD’s budget for FY ’99 will be approximately $972 million in four program areas from which funding can be used for homeless youth.   Window of Opportunity There was a window of opportunity in 1999-2000, as communities across the State of New Jersey developed new, five-year consolidated plans for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.  In New Jersey, the New Jersey Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) covered the federal fiscal year 1994-1998.  As local communities and the State initiate their new counts of the homeless it is imperative that homeless youth be included in the count so that services for this sub-population can be planned and implemented.  Failure to do so would result in their complete exclusion, or homeless youth receiving very limited services for another five-year period.   The GSC worked extensively with providers in Jersey City and Camden City during this period to assist with data collection, and to educate providers and planners about this special population.  The following materials document the methodology used in this work.   I. PURPOSE The purpose of this manual is to: Define a methodology along with processes and procedures required in initiating a count of homeless youth.   Identifying the needs of this group through the design of interviews and questionnaires appropriate to the group. Identify the existing services and gaps in services for the homeless youth population. II. OUTCOMES The principal outcome of this effort is to produce a uniform system for collecting and analyzing federally required data on homeless youth as part of the sub-population of the homeless. Elements of this outcome include: Establishment of an agreed upon set of stated assumptions and protocols. Applicable of the methodology to other communities in the State. Providing data that will lead to the development of a continuum of care for this sub-population. Greater understanding, inclusion and access to resources for homeless youth as part of the decision-making structure as resources are allocated for the homeless. Inclusion of the learning and best practice from this count into the design and methodology of the State's count for the homeless. III. WORKING ASSUMPTIONS The proposed plan for counting homeless youth is built on a number of working assumptions. They include the following:  Reasons for homelessness. Youth are homeless for a different set of reasons than adults. Homeless youth are primarily young victims of physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse, young orphans of parents who have died of aids or serving jail terms, and the vulnerable, neglected children of parents with substance abuse. Different needs. Because the reasons for their homelessness is different, their needs are different from those of the adult homeless population.  Different interview instruments. Determining the needs of homeless youth thus requires different interview forms than those used for the adult homeless population. These interview instruments are used for counting the homeless youth population. These instruments reflect those differences to better understand the needs and gaps in services for this sub-population. Congregate differently. Homeless youth and adults congregate in different places and approach the issue of shelter differently. This is best described by the "couch surfing" of homeless youth and the lack of presence of this sub-population in adult food and shelter programs. This is a significant difference with this sub-population as opposed to homeless adults and families. Thus any count of homeless youth requires a different form of mapping as to where these youth can be identified and counted. Staffing. The staffs that work with homeless youth are different from those working with homeless adults. This in no way reflects any differences in skills or knowledge between the two groups. The existence of a street outreach program targeting runaway and homeless youth, with a street outreach staff knowledgeable about this population, is most helpful in developing a count of homeless youth. Ideally, any volunteers brought on to participate in the effort should participate in a training program conducted by the street outreach workers, or at the very least, be trained in basic principles of street outreach.  Duplicate counting. Duplication and multiple counting of individuals represent the gravest danger to the creation of a creditable and valid survey. Given the issue of confidentiality and the reluctance to give one's name, the methodology suggests seeking three ID markers: date of birth, county of birth and mother's first name. The reliability of each of the markers has been tested in other studies of this population, with each having different degrees of validity and reliability. Additional markers drawn from observation will also be used. These will include sex, race, etc. We assume that all data will be computerized in order to purge possible duplication.  Time frame. The nature of the differences between homeless youth and homeless adults, as to where each is to be found, does not require the same time frame for conducting a count of homeless youth. Thus while the adult homeless population count may fit into the design that is limited to one night, this does not have to be the case for homeless youth. Best practices have been successful in counting homeless youth and determining their needs have extended their effort for as little as one week or as long as one month. However, the count will focus around a point-in-time, preferably a major national holiday, which is then used as a reference point for an individual's homelessness.    TIME PERIOD OF SURVEY Time Frame. The proposed survey period is one month.  Actual Count. The actual count should be conducted four days per week. Three (3) of those days should coincide with the organization's regular street outreach program days It is recommended that one month period include Saturdays.  Hours. The recommended hours of outreach should be during the evening. Depending on the location, a few hours of outreach may be scheduled during the daytime. Organizations should also be knowledgeable of any local curfews for youth under the age of 18.  IV. SCOPE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION The scope of the information collected will fall into two phases. These phases reflect the requirements of federal agencies in documenting, the size and the needs of the population, as well as the gaps in services. The survey of homeless youth will focus on size of the population, and contribute the establishment of a continuum of care for homeless youth.  Sources A summary of the sources for the description and enumeration of the homeless youth population includes: Runaway and Homeless Youth Street Outreach Program Survey of Shelters and Food Kitchens (with data focused on identification of youth without families ages 11-21) Data from Existing Institutions  Law Enforcement Agencies Juvenile Justice Foster Care Adult Prison System  School System For each of these sources, a description of the plan, processes or methodologies follows. V.  STREET OUTREACH  Street outreach forms the heart of the survey strategy in counting homeless youth. It is best to builds on an existing runaway and homeless youth street outreach program.  Mapping. Based on the street outreach experiences of outreach workers, organizations should identify and map a number sites where homeless youth can most often be found. Chart 1 below provides an example of a breakout of sites as identified by street outreach workers. This Chart defines each site by location, identifies it by zone, characteristics, supervisor, youth volunteer and adult volunteers assigned, day and date, and time of coverage Chart 1 Site Location Zone Characteristic Supervisor Youth Assigned Volunteer Assigned Day & Date                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Definitions. Definitions are provided for each of these terms for planning purposes.  Site: Sites are designated number (ex: 1,2,3, etc.), and must be defined by a number of contiguous blocks, a building, a street, a group of houses or an area in a mall.  Location: Defines the exact location of the site by address. Zone: Defines a group of contiguous sites, thus within a zone, there may be more than one site. Characteristics: Because neighborhoods differ both as to ethnic makeup, language requirements and degrees of danger, it is suggested that each zone be characterized as such, so that resources may be efficiently and effectively deployed. Homeless Youth: Youth in need of services, who are without a place of residence where they can receive supervision and care. Includes runaway youth, who by their own actions, are away from home at least overnight. Also includes throwaways, or children whose status is not the result of their own actions or personal qualities, but a result of being pushed out or leaves due to severe circumstances. Couch Surfing: "Couch surfers" is the vernacular term used to describe the phenomenon of a homeless youth staying within someone else's home, until they have exhausted their stay, thereafter moving on to another individual who will provide them with a place to sleep. This describes a particularly hidden population of homeless youth, some of whom are compromising their own safety by trading sex or other favors in exchange for shelter. Team: A street outreach team is comprised ideally of adult supervisor, a youth and a volunteer. The roles and functions of the different members may change depending on the circumstances, however, interviews are most often conducted by the youth while the other members of the team perform their regular outreach functions.  Day, Date, Coverage: While time and dates of coverage are important for making assignments it must at times remain flexible. Weather and other circumstances may make increased coverage of some areas a necessity. Volunteer Recruitment (youth and adults): It is important to recruit volunteers that have appropriate characteristics which allow for quick acceptance by youth on the streets, and an inherent comfort level with walking all parts of the community. A quick and easy rapport with youth on the street may assist in timely and genuine surveys. In addition, it may be prudent to provide basic training in safety protocols for street work to all volunteers. It is recommended that organizations utilize street outreach workers to carry out this training. All volunteers should be asked to follow accepted agency procedures for safety, such as working in teams, carrying cell phones, and wearing identification. VI. SHELTERS AND FOOD KITCHENS One modification of its questionnaire was made to capture homeless youth 18-21 utilizing adult services. Because of the issue of duplication we will at this time have to wait to see how this data will be handled. At a minimum we will use these data as a benchmark to compare our count of the homeless youth population.  VII. INSTITUTIONS This methodology is designed to include youth that are institutionalized. The data being sought from each of these institutions is outlined. It requires having a close working relationship with key players involved with each of these institutions. Confidentiality remains an absolute requirement. Police Records Organizations should partner with their local law enforcement agencies in looking at those arrested during the one month period who are under the age of 21. This data collection effort will: Collect arrest records on a weekly basis for the month Define identifiers for each individual Select only those with no permanent address when arrested or  Those with no permanent address when released Where possible conduct interviews with a select numbers Foster Care The New Jersey Department of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) offers a variety of foster care services in all communities. Any count must include homeless youth in all of the different dimensions of this system. Foster care Group Home care Residential  Para/kinship care Shelter care Treatment Home care Non-DYFS Public Institutions Independent Living Aging Out. DYFS provides a count of the number of youth aging out by county. This definition includes those between the ages of 16-21.  Homeless Youth Basic Centers and Transitional Living . State and federally funded programs specifically funded for short term crisis and long term non-DYFS homeless youth.  Juvenile Justice System The juvenile justice system represents a source of homeless youth. However any count of youth in the juvenile justice system requires development of a good working relationship with the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC), or the equivalent in your state. Identification of the different components of the Juvenile Justice Commission programs and how data is gathered is a requirement for counting homeless youth within this system.  Below are suggestions for key sources and institutions within the juvenile justice system, which may be used for developing the count in each city. A. Institutionalized youth in the juvenile justice system. These data are gathered regularly by the juvenile justice system. These youth must meet the following criteria: Be under the age of 21. Be eligible for release in the next 12 months. Indicate their residence (more than likely the residence of parent or guardian)  B. Juvenile Justice System. We view all these data as confidential and do not want the names or social security numbers of the individuals. We will however for planning purposes require the following data for each individual meeting the above screen  Date of birth If previously in foster care system Grade Completed Destination upon release (i.e. would the individual now return to home, a half-way house, don't know, etc.) Was the individual homeless before entering? Note: a separate form will be developed for the reporting of this information.  C. Residential Programs Be under the age of 21. Be eligible for release within the next 12 months Destination upon release (i.e. would the individual now return to home, a half-way house, don't know, etc.) D. Family Court Date of birth If previously in foster care system  Grade Completed Destination upon release (i.e. would the individual now return to home, a half-way house, don't know, etc.) E. Shelter through Family Court. The shelter through family court (describe since it helps when we train folks) Be under the age of 21. Be eligible for release in the next 12 months (they will be released much more quickly) Indicate their residence (more than likely the residence of parent or guardian) is in Jersey City. F. Data Elements from the shelter though Family Court: Date of birth If previously in foster care system -Yes/No Grade Completed Destination upon release (i.e. would the individual now return to home, a half-way house, don't know, etc.) G. Adult Prison System Organizations should partner with their local law enforcement agencies in looking at those arrested during the one month period who are 18 years of age or older. This data collection effort will: Collect arrest records on a weekly basis for the month Define identifiers for each individual Select only those with no permanent address when arrested or  Those with no permanent address when released Where possible conduct interviews with a select numbers H. School System One technique, which has been used successfully, is to identify homeless youth still in school and hire them to survey other homeless youth in the school. We acknowledge the limitations of this approach, however,  find it startling how there is a network of youth who know of each others homelessness. METHODOLOGY  The intent is that we survey as large a group as was possible in your community that may be identified as youth who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. This sampling methodology does not allow us to generalize to the community as a whole. This however is not our goal since HUD requires an actual count and not projections of the homeless.  The street outreach infrastructure created by Horizon Health Center to serve youth in Jersey City served as our model for outreach in conducting this survey. Where ever possible organizations with staff that have reached out to youth on the street, at night over a sustained time period can serve as a good resource for conducting this survey. The fieldwork for this survey also relies on your local organizations knowledge of where there was a greater likelihood that homeless youth and those at risk of being homeless would congregate. The design should also allow the field interviews to be conducted during the hours of 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. or even until 11 p.m. to coincide with any street outreach activities.  The methodology incorporates the HUD definition of homeless. Under HUD's definition a person is considered homeless only when she/he resides in a place not meant for human habitation, in an emergency shelter or in transitional or supportive housing. A person is also considered homeless if they are living in any of the aforementioned places but is spending a short time (up to 30 consecutive days) in a hospital or other institution, being evicted in a week without having a subsequent place to live or the resources to pay for a place or is being released from an institution in which they have been a resident for 30 consecutive days. Again in the latter instances, the individual does not have the resources and support networks to obtain housing (Supplement to Continuum of Care Assistance & Application, 1999). Chart 1 summarizes the places where if in the previous week a person slept or rested they would be classified as homeless.  In order to comply with a point-in-time count the methodology utilized a key day centered around a holiday (Easter, Columbus Day, July 4th, Labor Day, etc.) in which it was thought an individual would recall events in his/her life for the week that followed that holiday or the week of the holiday. While data were collected for that period we also obtained data for the previous week, that is the week prior to the time period in which the interview was conducted as a reference point. Thus over the two week period in which interviews were conducted, the point in time for which the count was being made was the week before and following Easter Sunday. If you were in the field for a third week, one would ask about the week before Easter and the last week.. Questionnaire design reflected previous studies that profiled homeless youth. These studies relied on runaway histories, recent living situations, household conflicts and dynamics, schooling and education, health issues, involvement with the justice system and employment. These indicators have all have all been shown to be important in profiling homeless youth (Garden State Coalition, 1993). Limitations of the instrument included the absence of psychological and socialization issues, sexual orientation and that in a four to five minute interview being conducted on the street there were severe limitations as to the depth in exploring any one area.  Chart 1: HUD Places of Sleep or Rest Categories for Defining Homeless Homeless Categories: Someone else’s house, apt or room A place of business An emergency shelter An institution, detox, hospital A car, bus, van or other vehicle A Hotel or motel A transportation site An abandoned building An emergency shelter A program that offers permanent housing for homeless people A paid room by a voucher Anywhere outside A detention center, jail Not Homeless category: Your own house, apt or room   Interviews/ Questionnaires The survey of homeless youth involves both a count of homeless youth and an assessment of their needs. Two forms of questionnaires will be used. The first (a short version) seeks to identify the immediate needs that are most directly reflective of service gaps for which funding is possible. The second is designed to meet the longer-term needs of the population that will be reflected in the continuum of care.  Duplication  The key issue on homeless surveys is duplication and double counting. Given the issue of confidentiality and the possible unwillingness to give one's name, three ID markers are requested when conducting an interview, date of birth, county of birth and mother's name. Once computerized, the odds of matches are limited. Each individual will also have additional observational pieces as markers that will assist us such as sex and race. Length of Survey The survey time period is for a minimum of seven consecutive days, or up to one month. Point in Time The questionnaire focuses around a point in time reference, best accomplished by using a very recent major holiday, to ensure participants memory recall, ie. Thanksgiving. Sources The places for identifying the youth vary, including: Street Outreach Known Sites - Site should be determined by those individuals working daily with youth on the streets (i.e. street outreach workers, juvenile officers, or youth volunteers). Shelters & Food Kitchens - Although these are not the most fruitful sites, it is important to identify those youth, with appropriate identification and under the age of 21, not a part of a family unit. Precincts - Arrest records should be obtained from the precincts for those individuals under the age of 21, who show no home address. Records should be obtained only for the dates during the designated count. Again, use of identification markers, if available, must be used to eliminate duplications. Institutionalized - This population includes incarcerated youth who will be turning 18, who will eligible for parole, or those who will have reached completion of their time, in the next three months.  Foster Care - All youth, under the age of 21, who will be aging out of state foster in the next three months.  Other Local Institutions - these include local institutions where youth go (i.e. health clinics, or drop-in centers), and report no address, which also allows for the tracing of the identification markers. Again, information must be gathered only during the established time period.  School Survey - This is a source, which could yield major results, but may be difficult to obtain information. This source should be contacted last. It is suggested that the organization conduct a survey among selected high school junior and seniors on youth they personally know to be homeless, as this group often provides informal support to homeless youth. 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.   Interviewer’s Guide  Purpose.  The purpose of this questionnaire is to identify youth under the age of 21 who are at risk of being homeless, or are homeless.  Throughout the interview we will avoid the use of the word homeless in our conversations with individuals.  Whom do we interview.  We will be interviewing all youth whom we think are 21 years of age and under.  Our primary population will be drawn from the streets within specific designated zones that have been identified by the street outreach staff at the coordinating organization.  Length of interview.  The entire interview is designed to take less than five minutes.  This however can be a long time if out on the street and talking to someone who is impatient, restless or does not really want to be interviewed, or is being distracted simply by his/her friends who may be standing in the area.  Where, when, conditions in conducting interview. Do not interview individuals with friends close at hand where they intrude in the “space” in which the interview is being conducted.  Ask the individual to join you a few feet away from his/her friends and create a private space where you two can speak privately. Your street partner can help you secure this space and could be engaged in conversation with the friend(s) of the individual being interviewed.  Additional pointers will be provided in the discussion of street outreach.  Cover Page.  The top half of the cover page is information that will be filled out when you receive the questionnaire.  If it is not filled out please leave blank.  The bottom half of the cover page is to be filled out by the interviewer.  You should complete the bottom section before beginning your interview. Please try to be accurate in recording the time you began the interview.  Note Zone will reflect the zone in which the interview is being conducted.  If you move to another zone please make sure you refer to the maps to record the correct zone. Token of Participation.  Make it clear to the individuals that the token of appreciation will only be given for a completed interview. Introducing yourself Hello, my name is _____________ and I am working with the {your organization name].  We [or the organization’s name] run[s] a number of youth and young adult programs.  We are interviewing young adults 21 years of age and under in [city name] to better understand their housing and living conditions so that we can better plan our youth programs.  All of the information you provide will be kept confidential. We can provide you a small token  of our appreciation for participating in this interview.  Would you be able to take five minutes of your time to answer a few questions?  Coding Questionnaires.  You will circle responses where they are given. These circles will correspond to the response category listed. Following directions.  Please follow directions as indicated in the questionnaire.  Where it says do not read categories, please do not read the categories.  Read categories only when instructions indicate you should do so.  Questions with multiple responses.  Where an individual has to give a number of responses do not try to look up the list but rather write the responses in the margin and after the interview go back and check the appropriate response category.  Open ended questions.  There are some open-ended questions in which you should write all the responses provided by the individual.  Do not express surprise by the answers given, simply record without giving a reaction. End of interview.  We strongly urge that you take one minute out before going on to another interview to fill in the responses.  Completing interview.  You should go over each question and make sure it is properly filled out before turning in each survey form.  Even though we know who has conducted the interview it will be impossible several weeks later as we enter the data into the computer that you can go back and recall what was said or what you meant by your marginal notes. Recording time.  Several questions require you to record time.  The individual may provide you time with years, months, weeks.  Record as given.  After the interview you are to translate all time as months.  Doing this is part of the process of  submitting  a complete interview. Refused to answer.  For many questions there is a category indicating the individual “refused to answer.”  This response is different from a “no” response.  Where a “no” response may trigger instructions to  “skip to” this is not true of “refused to answer.” It is always assumed that because an individual refused to answer a specific question that they may answer the next question.  You must therefore always ask the next question even if they “refused to answer” the previous question.  The only time you have the flexibility to not continue on to the next question is at the very start when you have asked the individual if he/she has been interviewed previously.  Then you must make the decision whether you want to go on or talk about rescheduling and meeting them another time.   INSTRUCTIONS NOTE: Q. 3, 4, 5 are all items you must fill out before you begin the interview. Note in Q. 3 you are to fill in the zone in which the interview is being conducted. Zones are identified by numbers. This is important since it is used as one of the identifiers to weed out duplicate participants. Termination of interview. You are to terminate the interview if the person indicates they have previously been interviewed for this study. You can proceed with the interview if the individual refused to answer, says no or does not know. If however the individual acknowledges that they participated in the interview at any time during the interview then you are to terminate the interview. Q. 6. Do not ask but fill out from your observation. Note while we have left only two choices for gender, gender identity is a significant issue among some homeless youth. Q. 7. You should ask and not make any assumptions if there is any doubt.  Q. 8  Record these dates in numbers. You may choose to write the month down and return later to fill out using numbers. You are to estimate the age of the individual if they refuse to answer. Q. 9. Here you are seeking information regarding where the individual grew up before they went out on their own - as a child. In case the individual indicates they are not now living with their parents, relatives or guardians, please repeat the question and inform them you are seeking information regarding when they grew up, where they have spent most of their lives and before they were out on their own. If the individual responds that they lived lots of different places, then ask them to indicate the one place they spent the most time growing up as a child.  Q. 10/11. If individual has attended beyond high school, then simply add a year on for each year beyond high school. Again record as a number. Remember if still in school the current grade in school is not the completed year but the year before that. Q. 12-16 all pertain to living away from parents and guardians and tries to capture whether the person has ever lived away, done so in the last year and whether they are currently doing so now.  Q. 13. This question simply seeks to get a number for a response. The person could have lived with and then left and came back, etc. How many times has the person done this. All the time is not an acceptable answer. You must try to get a number. Q. 14. The emphasis here is on the last 12 months. Has the individual lived someplace other than with parents and guardians in the last 12 months.   Q.  15.  The emphasis on Q. 14 is on current status. You are interested in where they are living now. The now is defined as the present, today.  In Q. 15 record the length of time.  Here you are interested in the length of time from the present (today) going backwards to when they last moved out. Note there may have been multiple moves back and forth over the last year.  Note do not be confused if this time span may extend to the same time period as the length of time recorded in Q. 13. Q. 16.  Here we seek the total length of time present and past that individual has lived away from home. Q. 17.  Do not read categories. Please record all the responses in the margin and return later to fill out.  Be specific in filling out the other category. Do not rush the individual give them “space” to respond. Includes past and present reasons for living away from parents and guardians. Q.  18. Please note the skip to directions.  Q. 19.   Please record all the responses in the margin and return later to fill out.  Be specific in filling out the other category. Do not rush the individual, give them “space” to respond. Q.  21.  Notice medical provider and doctor are synonymous. Q. 22.  Please record response.  If individual provides more than one answer ask where did they go the last time they were ill.  An acceptable response is nowhere,  saw no one. Q.    23-31.  These questions refer to foster care, juvenile justice and prison and jail.  Before asking these questions there is a transition introduction that you must read. Q.  23.  Please follow skip to directions.  Note the yes response is indicative that the person was in foster care and is no longer in foster care. Q.   24-25.  Again record in the time frame given and then later translate into months. Q.  26.  Juvenile detention refers to those who were under 18 and were detained in the juvenile justice system.  If they went to an adult prison then record for prison question.  Please follow skip to directions. Note presently living in a half way house may be a response.  I is indicative of previously being in the juvenile detention. Q.   26.  We are interested in the amount of time the individual spent in detention. Q.   27.  Here we are interested in how long it is since they were released and out of juvenile detention. Q.  29.  Prison refers to those usually over the age of 18. Note they may be some who though they may be under 18 may respond they went to prison.  Record as such. Prison is also used because someone may be in a county jail and for many they do not equate this to prison.  Therefore the question is read as prison or jail. Follow the directions to skip to the next question.  Q.   30.  Again, we are interested in the amount of time the individual spent in prison/jail. Q.   31.  Record how long it is since they have been released from prison/jail.  Record as given, then translate into months. Q.   32 and 34 are critical questions that follow HUD’s definition of what constitutes homeless.  After much debate we have been told that we must follow this format.  Q.  32.   This question seeks to determine where the individual stayed or spent the night the last week.  Here we are seeking the full week from Monday through Sunday.  You must read the categories.  Follow this up by asking Q.33, which of these places did they spend the most time. Q. 34.  Important that you emphasize the holiday surrounding the week for which you are counting youth.  Pause and give the respondent time to think of that time period.  Obtaining a focus on the time period is important since you are looking for the places stayed the seven days surrounding the holiday week, i.e. from the Monday to the following Sunday.  The individual does not have to follow any particular order in terms of the days of the week.  Again you must read the list of possible places where the individual could have stayed or spent the night.   Do not forget to ask Q.35. Q.  36. We are interested in the mother's first name, not her maiden name.  Please record the time the interview was completed.    DO NOT FORGET TO THANK THE INDIVIDUAL FOR TAKING THE TIME FOR THE INTERVIEW.  Give individual coupon as a token of appreciation. Provide individual with agency materials.   Questionnaire    (THIS SECTION TO BE COMPLETED BY GARDEN STATE COALITION)     Information Column     1.   Document ID ……………………………                                              [1]   2.     Study ID………………………………….                                              [2]         (INTERVIEWER: COMPLETE THIS SECTION BEFORE BEGINNING INTERVIEW)     3.     Date of Interview………………………   Month ______                   [3]                                                                             Day     ______                    [4]                                                                             Year    ______                    [5]                                                                             ZONE ______                    [6]   4.     Interviewer’s first name    _______________________                [7]                         5.     Time began                       _______________________                   [8]         [ INTRODUCTION]   Hello, my name is _____________ and I am working with the [organization name].  [Organization name] runs a number of youth and young adult programs.  We are interviewing young adults 21 years of age and under in (Insert City) to better understand their housing and living conditions so that we can better plan our youth programs.  All of the information you provide will be kept confidential.  We can provide you a small token of our appreciation for participating in this interview. Would you be able to take five minutes of your time to answer a few questions?   Have you completed an interview for this study before?    YES……………………        [01]  [INELIGIBLE FOR INTERVIEW] NO ……………………         [02]®  [INTERVIEWER GO TO Q. 6] DON’T KNOW………          [96] ® [INTERVIEWER GO TO Q. 6] REFUSED TO ANSWER…   [97]® [TRY TO RESCHEDULE OR TRY TO GO TO 6] BACKGROUND QUESTIONS   [INTERVIEWER’S OBSERVATIONS; IF UNSURE ASK Q. 7.]   6.     What is your gender?             MALE            ……………………………………            [01]             FEMALE…………………………………………….       [02]   7.     What is your ethnic background?               BLACK, AFRICAN AMERICAN…………………           [01]           HISPANIC…………………………………………..          [02]             ASIAN OR PACIFIC ISLANDER…………………            [03]             WHITE, CAUCASIAN………………………………         [04] AMERICAN INDIAN, ESKIMO, OR ALEUT…….            [05]             OTHER ______________                                                     [06]   GO TO QUESTION 8 ®      NEXT PAGE   8.  What is your date of birth? [RECORD  MONTH, DATE,  YEAR]                                                   _____  /______/_____                M          D         Y   If refused to answer, estimate the respondent’s age                           UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE ……………            [01]                         18 TO 21 YEARS OF AGE    ……………            [02]        9.  What city, County, and State did you live in with your parents, relatives or guardians?                           ___________________________      CITY                           ___________________________      COUNTY                           ___________________________     STATE    10.  Are you currently attending school?                           YES  …………………….               [01]                         NO ………………………              [02]                         REFUSED TO ANSWER………    [97]     11.  What is the highest grade you have completed?   [WRITE IN GRADE]                           ______________   GRADE IN SCHOOL   12.  Have you ever lived away from your parents and guardians?               YES……………………..                [01]             NO………………………               [02]® [INTERVIEWER GO TO Q.18]             REFUSED TO ANSWER……..      [97]   13.  On how many different occasions have you done this?     14.  In the last year have you ever lived away from your parents or guardians?                                       YES……………            [01]                                     NO…………….            [02]       15.  Currently, how long have you been living away from your parents or guardians?                           _______________YEARS_______________MONTHS                           IF NO TO #14 CHECK:CURRENTLY LIVING WITH PARENTS………..[02]   16.    In total, over the years, how long have you lived away from your parents or guardians   _________________YEARS_______________MONTHS               17. Why were (are) you living away from parents or guardians?                                  RUN AWAY……………………                                                    [01]                         THROWN OUT………………….                                                  [02]                         LEFT HOME AFTER THE AGE OF 18…                                      [03]                         RECENTLY RELEASED FROM DETENTION CENTER….        [04]                         RECENTLY RELEASED FROM PRISON……………                 [05]                         PARENTS INCARCERATED……………………….                   [06]                         PARENTS HOMELESS………………………….                         [07]                           PARENTS MOVED……………………………..                          [08]                         OTHER________________________                                            [09]                         REFUSED TO ANSWER…………………                                    [97]                         18.  Do you presently support yourself?   YES …………                        [01]  NO…………...             [02]®  [INTERVIEWER GO TO  Q. 20] REFUSED TO ANSWER…            [97]                           19.  How do you support yourself?            [WRITE ALL RESPONSES GIVEN]     20.   Do you presently have any means by which you can pay for housing?                           YES………………………                [01]                         NO……………………….               [02]                         REFUSED TO ANSWER………    [97]     21.   Have you seen a medical care provider (doctor) in the last year?                           YES………………………                [01]                         NO……………………….               [02]                         REFUSED TO ANSWER………    [97]     22.   Where did you go the last time that you needed medical attention?                                                                                             Now I would like to ask you a few questions about places you may have stayed in the past.   23.   Have you ever been in foster care?                    YES……………………..                  [01]             CURRENTLY IN FOSTER CARE…[02]              NO………………………                [03] ® [INTERVIEWER GO TO  Q. 26]             REFUSED TO ANSWER………    [97]   24  How long have you been/were you in foster care?   __________YEARS_______ MONTHS   25.  How long ago was that?               ______YEARS      _______MONTHS   26.  Have you ever been in juvenile detention?           YES …………………….               [01]             NO………………………                [02]® [INTERVIEWER GO TO  Q. 29]             REFUSED TO ANSWER……..      [97]   27.   How long were you in juvenile detention?   ______________YEARS__________MONTHS     28.  How long ago was that?               ________ YEARS    _________  MONTHS           29.  Have you ever been in prison/jail?                                  YES …………………….               [01]             NO………………………                [02]® [INTERVIEWER GO TO  Q. 32]             REFUSED TO ANSWER                    [97]     30.   How long were you in prison/jail?   ___________YEARS___________MONTHS   31.   How long ago was that?               _______YEARS   _______  MONTHS       CONTINUE TO NEXT PAGE 32. I want you to think back to where you stayed or spent your nights in the last week. I will read you a number of places you could have stayed or spent your nights.  Could you let me know if you stayed or spent your nights at any of these places during the last week?  [READ CATEGORIES]   Place of Sleep or rest Yes No 1.  Someone else’s house, apartment or room       2.  Your own house, apartment or room (includes foster and adult group homes)       3.  A hotel or motel   (place with rooms that you pay for yourself)       4.  A room paid for by a voucher       5.  A place of business (all night movie, bar, laundromat, all night restaurant, etc.)       6.  A transportation site (bus station, airport, path)       7.  Anywhere outside (on the street, in a park, on a bench, etc.)       8.  A car, bus, van  or other vehicle (including abandoned vehicle)       9.  A detention center, jail       10.  An abandoned building       11.  An institution, a hospital, detox       12.  An emergency shelter         13.  A transitional shelter/housing         14.  A program that offers permanent housing for homeless people.           33.   In which of these places did you spend the most time?                                                                 34. This time I want you to think back to where you stayed the week that started Monday, November 20th.  That happened to be Thanksgiving week.  Over the week or those seven days that was a part of Thanksgiving week, could you tell me all the places where you stayed or spent the night?  Again, I will read you a number of places you could have stayed or spent your nights.  Could you let me know if you stayed or spent your nights at any of these places during the Thanksgiving week? (READ CATEGORIES)   Place of Sleep or rest Yes No 1.  Someone else’s house, apartment or room       2.  Your own house, apartment or room (includes foster and adult group homes)       3.  A hotel or motel   (place with rooms that you pay for yourself)       4.  A room paid for by a voucher       5.  A place of business (all night movie, bar, laundromat, all night restaurant, etc.)       6.  A transportation site (bus station, airport, path)       7.  Anywhere outside (on the street, in a park, on a bench, etc.)       8.  A car, bus, van or other vehicle (including abandoned vehicle)       9.  A detention center, jail       10.  An abandoned building       11.  An institution, a hospital, detox       12.  An emergency shelter       13.  A transitional shelter/housing       14.  A program that offers permanent housing for homeless people.           35.   In which of these places did you spend the most time?                                                              Finally we have one additional question which we use as one way to check on duplicate interviews.    36.  Would you care to share with us your mother’s first name?                                                                               RECORD TIME INTERVIEW ENDED.  _____________________     THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME FOR THE INTERVIEW                                                                   Homeless Youth Count Sample Training Agenda     I.                   Planning Items A.                Approvals/Notifications (police, mayor, CEAS, YSC) B.                 Identification of Prime Target Areas & Mapping Zones C.                 Volunteer Recruitment & Training D.                Materials (nametags, coupons/incentives, hotline information, other handouts E.                 Target Date/Timeline/Schedule of Volunteers F.                  Ongoing Coordination & Support   II.                Training Points A.                Purpose of Counting B.                 Building on Success of Camden & Jersey City C.                 Safety and Streetwork (ID, teams, cell phones etc.) D.                Review of Survey E.                   Potential Challenges/Issues