Race, ethnicity, and gender descriptors have been expanded and set new goals.

Before sending out volunteers for this year’s PIT count, HUD identified a few priorities. First, it measures the number of unaccompanied youth, or those under the age of 24 who do not have shelter. While demographic data will always be collected for this study, one of the objectives of the 2023 study is to find out how many veterans, victims of domestic violence, and chronically homeless individuals across the country spent one night sleeping outside. It was to better understand the number of people who are

Volunteer research is standardized. All surveyors asked the same question to identify where a person slept, age, gender identity, ethnicity, and whether they could determine why their permanent home was lost or inaccessible. Survey questions also identify how long a particular person may have been experiencing homelessness.

People’s responses to PIT survey questions are confidential. Date of birth and first name or initials are used to prevent duplication. However, no other identifiers are taken and all volunteers sign a confidentiality agreement before departure.

It was below freezing on Wednesday morning, the first day of the 2023 survey. As a result, the first few volunteers approached were mostly still bundled up and sleeping, trying to fend off attacks. bitter cold in January.

In a similar investigative activity, It is designed to assess the needs of “unprotected relatives” from an Aboriginal perspective. Native Americans for Community Action (NACA) observed that it is difficult to conduct surveys in the winter in northern Arizona. People aren’t just hanging out in the streets. They’re less likely to be in popular gathering places or begging hotspots, and more likely to hide out of sight to survive the cold.

Locally, the PIT count is flagstaff shelter services When catholic charityThese organizations and their volunteers do not have a say in when research is done. Data was measured on the same night (Tuesday, January 24) at the same time nationwide (January 25-27).

“That’s one of the biggest criticisms of it. It’s the same time across the country,” Kennedy explained, noting that the process can be delayed if there’s a natural disaster. Similarly, Phoenix has higher counts in warmer areas than in Flagstaff, so if it rains a lot in the Bay Area, for example, it’s harder to spot people.”

The process of approaching complete strangers (fearful or vulnerable) and asking somewhat personal demographic questions, beyond just the weather, can be daunting.

“You meet a lot of people and you describe it. It’s still kind of like this weird idea,” Kennedy said. ’ And then when you get to talk to them, they’ll be like, “Yeah, I stayed at the shelter last night.” There is no need to complete the survey. It ends abruptly. But I meet people who are like, “I slept outside last night.” “

These numbers are available elsewhere, as Shelter collects data from service locations.

“We will determine if people were protected first. If they are protected, we will thank them for their time and move on,” explained Sarah Rendon, program manager for the Catholic Charity’s housing division.

Many of the volunteers who made the PIT count this year work or donate their time to shelters and humanitarian organizations throughout the year. They are familiar with the experiences of people without shelter and have some background.

All surveyors, regardless of volunteer experience, underwent online training hosted by Rendon and Holly Creager, program directors of Flagstaff Shelter Services.

Before heading out, all volunteers received a Flagstaff police safety briefing from Lieutenant Charles Hernandez. Hernandez shared a de-escalation technique used by officers. He also told volunteers about best practices, such as when to call for those at risk of terrorism and when to call the police for help. He explained that he might feel threatened.

“Approaching them as a stranger puts them in defensive or conversational mode,” Hernandez said during training.

What Hernandez described unfolded during the first hour when Kennedy made the PIT count. He and his research partner, Flagstaff Shelter Services employees, received mixed responses from survey participants. Several responded that they were happy to share their stories. Others have mistrust, fear, or even anger.

“I think the biggest thing is that it makes a lot of sense for people to be frustrated and angry and confused,” Kennedy said. If you have some sort of mental illness that makes you look like you’re angry, sometimes you get a consistent response. . “

Volunteers were encouraged during training to approach each person by offering empathy and education. This is primarily because the purpose of aggregation is not just to generate demographic data. People are more than numbers, and the whole idea of ​​measuring the scope of a problem is to solve the problem for the people being researched, along with the people being researched.

Kennedy said the purpose of PIT is not necessarily to “fix” the situation of each individual under investigation. Collecting data to identify broken systems and service gaps.

Still, you can have productive conversations about the services available to those in need at Flagstaff. Volunteers who normally participate in activities such as shelter hosting will not do so here, but about the availability of shelters and the communal front door program designed to help people find permanent housing. I may speak to someone.

In addition to heading to the field with information, volunteers brought refreshments, hygiene kits, and Better Bucks.

Hygiene kits were provided by NACA and included items such as hats and scarves, handwritten notes, hand sanitizer and sanitary napkins. Snack bags were packed by the Flagstaff Family Food Center and Better Bucks were donated by the City of Flagstaff, Coconino County Health and Human Services, and Catholic charities. Better Bucks are intended to replace the cash that people give to beggars and can be used to buy things like food and water.

The same items that were handed out by mobile surveyors were also distributed to fixed volunteer sites. Over the course of the three-day count, volunteers set up tables at both the Public Library, the Flagstaff Family Food Center, and the Montoya Community Center.

“We’ll set up a table and maybe put up a little sign and people will come to us and do research. Mobile units, people are actually going out into the community and looking for places where people can gather.” said Rendon.

But what ultimately led people to sacrifice time to endure the cold and talk to strangers?

“I believe that each and every person counts. It’s important to count accurately, to get as close to an accurate count as possible, to bring attention to unprotected neighbors and communities,” Rendon said.