The Point-in-Time Count Is Meant to be a Snapshot of Unhoused Populations. How Clear is That Picture?

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KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 29 May 2024

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Every other January, hundreds of volunteers hit the stress across the Bay Area and attempt to count the number of unhoused people and families. The point-in-time count offers a snapshot into the scope of homelessness in different communities, but most experts agree the methodology is often inaccurate and flawed. The preliminary data for this year’s count is finally out and reveals jumps and declines in different cities across the Bay Area. We’ll talk to experts to demystify the counting process, understand this year’s numbers and discuss how data collection could be improved. Guests: Sydney Johnson, reporter, KQED News Elester Hubbard, outreach supervisor, San Francisco Homeless Outreach Team (SFHOT) Paul Boden, executive director, Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP) Dr. Margot Kushel, professor of medicine, UCSF; director, UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative Christin Evans, vice chair, San Francisco's Homelessness Oversight Commission; owner, Booksmith; co-owner, the Alembic bar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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1:13.0	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal.
1:19.4	Every other January, on one night, hundreds of volunteers go out into the streets all across the Bay Area and attempt to count the number of unhoused people.
1:23.0	The so-called point-in-time count offers a snapshot of the scale of homelessness in different places.
1:29.4	But it's not a precise research activity.
1:32.6	The preliminary data is now out and it reveals some heartening drops and dispiriting jumps.
1:39.0	And the question this morning is, can we trust these numbers?
1:42.0	Or are they more noise than signal?
1:45.2	That's all coming up next, after this news welcome to forum welcome to forum I'm Alexis Madrigal. People have different measures for how they think the civic and governmental response to homelessness is going.
2:10.3	Perhaps it's someone in their own orbit, getting help or shelter, or the rise or fall of an encampment near their kids' school or the safety they
2:19.1	feel walking to work.
2:20.4	But there is data, too.
2:22.7	Alongside academic studies, there's a federally mandated census taken on that one night in
	...

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