Use Homelessness Point-in-Time Count

Homelessness Point-in-Time Count delivers a set of capabilities that help you conduct point-in-time counts, visualize the extent of homelessness, and share homelessness reports with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

In this topic, you’ll learn how to use the solution by assuming the role of a user and performing the workflows below.

Note:

Use your organization's data or configured apps to follow these workflows.

Manage assignment areas

You will assume the role of the point-in-time count coordinator responsible for ensuring all areas in your community are canvassed and managing volunteers. Your initial responsibilities include creating assignment areas that volunteers will be assigned to and deployment sites where they will report to.

In this workflow, you will create an assignment area and deployment site.

1. Sign in to your ArcGIS Organization and browse to the Point-in-Time Count Volunteer Manager.
2. Click on the Sites and Areas tab at the top of the app.
3. Click Deployment Sites in the layer list and choose the site for the deployment site on the map.
4. Complete the feature details and click Create.
5. Click Assignment Areas in the layer list and draw a new assignment area on the map.
6. Complete the feature details including the Volunteers Needed and click Create.
7. Repeat the process above for all deployment sites and assignment areas to cover your community.

Note:

Now that areas have been created, volunteers will have the ability to choose which area they wish to work in.

Complete the volunteer application

Organizations cultivate a volunteer workforce to help canvass their community and conduct the homelessness point-in-time count. Community members interested in joining the Homelessness Point-in-Time Count program first need to complete a volunteer application and receive approval before they can assist with conducting the count.

You will first assume the role of a community volunteer who is interested in assisting in your community’s Homelessness Point-in-Time Count program.

1. In a browser, go to the Homelessness Point-in-Time Count site.
2. Scroll to the Volunteer Now! section. Read the topics as you scroll through the site.

   When community residents do not have a community account or are not signed in to the Homelessness Point-in-Time Count site, the site displays buttons to Create an account or Sign In with an existing account. If a community resident is logged into the site, the Homelessness Point-in-Time Count site displays a Complete Application Form button, which can be used to access the Point-in-Time Count Volunteer Application form. In the following steps, a community resident has created an account and is signed in to the Homelessness Point-in-Time Count site.

3. Click the Complete Application Form button.
4. Complete the Point-in-Time Count Volunteer Application form to express interest in becoming a volunteer.
   The application will be reviewed by the point-in-time count coordinator. After the application has been approved, the volunteer can will have access to learning resources and the point-in-time count survey.
5. Close the browser tab used for the Point-in-Time Count Volunteer Application and return to the Homelessness Point-in-Time Count site.

Manage volunteers

You will now again assume the role of the point-in-time count coordinator responsible for ensuring all areas in your community are canvassed and managing volunteers.

In this workflow, you will review, approve and assign a volunteer to an area.

1. Sign in to your ArcGIS Organization and browse to the Point-in-Time Count Volunteer Manager.
2. Click the Volunteers tab at the top of the app.
3. Click a volunteer in the list.
4. In the panel on the right, change the Status to Approved and choose an Assignment Area.
5. Optionally, choose a shift and add any notes you would like to relay on to deployment site staff when the volunteer checks in.
6. Click Assign.

Note:

Note how the label on the map for the Volunteers Needed will decrease as you assign volunteers to each area. You can adjust the filters as appropriate to look at already approved volunteers or search by name.

Email point-in-time count volunteers

Volunteers should automatically receive an email indicating they were approved and given links to the Point-in-Time Count Volunteer Application site's Volunteer Resources page. Continuing your role as a point-in-time coordinator, you will contact your network of volunteers and remind them to learn more about the program and gain access to the point-in-time count survey. In this workflow, you will use the Homelessness Point-in-Time Count site to draft and send an email to all approved volunteers in your program.

1. Verify you are signed in to your organization and browse to the Homelessness Point-in-Time Count site.
2. If necessary, click the Edit button to open the site editor.
3. Hover over Homelessness Point-in-Time Count at the top of the site editor and click Teams.
4. In the left, click Add Existing Support Team.
5. Add the Approved Point-in-Time Count Volunteers group and click Select.
6. In the list of results, click Approved Point-in-Time Count Volunteers.
7. Click the message button to message all approved volunteers or select volunteers individually and click Message.
8. Type a subject and add text to the message's body.

   Note:

   To include a URL that doesn't have a arcgis.com or esri.com domain, contact your hub's administrator to register the domain for the URL you want to use. If the domain isn't registered, the email will not send.

9. Click Send Message.

   Messages are sent from arcgis.com to the email address associated with the volunteer's user profile.

Check volunteers in and out

You will assume the role of staff working at a deployment site in charge of checking in volunteers. Oftentimes, volunteers are given resources and staples to hand out people experiencing homelessness and check in during this process. Checking in volunteers will give the point-in-time count coordinator insight if assignment areas are not being covered due to volunteers not showing up.

1. In a browser, view the Point-in-Time Count Volunteer Check in dashboard.
2. Under Assignment area, click the dropdown and choose the assignment area you are currently working in.
3. Select a volunteer in the list and click the check box to the right.

Note:

You can also search for a volunteer by name.

4. A new survey opens. Click Check in to check in the volunteer.
When volunteers return, you should repeat a similar process to check them out of their duties. This will help ensure they have safely returned and you can be debriefed on any issues they found during their shift.
5. Close the Volunteer Check in form.
6. At the bottom of the Point-in-Time Count Volunteer Check in dashboard, click the Checked in tab.
7. Select a volunteer in the list and click the check box to the right.
8. A new survey opens, click Check out to check out the volunteer.
9. Close the Volunteer Check out form.

Conduct point-in-time count

Now you will assume the role of a volunteer conducting an interview for a homelessness point-in-time count.

To conduct a point-in-time count, follow the steps below.

1. In a browser, go to the Homelessness Point-in-Time Count site.
2. Click the Volunteer Resources page in the header and follow the instructions to download ArcGIS Survey123 on your device to access the Point-in-Time Count survey.

   If you followed the configuration steps, the volunteer would receive an email guiding them to go to the Volunteer Resources page.

3. Open Survey123 and sign in to your ArcGIS organization.
4. At the upper right, tap your avatar and tap Download Surveys.
5. Search for Point-in-Time Count and tap the Download button.
6. In the Point-in-Time Count survey, provide the following information:

   Note:

   Many of the questions will appear based upon the previous answer.

   Parameter	Value
   Is the person in a shelter?	Select Yes
   What is the name of the shelter/program?	Select the name of the shelter or program.
   What is the type of shelter/program?	Select Emergency Shelter.
   Are you able to survey this person?	Select Yes
   Can I have 10 minutes of your time?	Select Yes
   Did another volunteer or survey worker already ask you questions about where you are staying tonight?	Select No
   Including yourself (Person 1), how many adults are there in your (their) household, who are sleeping in the same location tonight?	Type 1
   How many children <18 are there in your (their) household, who are sleeping in the same location tonight?	Type 2

7. Proceed with the interview by filling in the following questions.
   • For all of the Household Questions text boxes, enter any values as if you were conducting the interview.
   • For Location, type an address in the search box and press Enter.
8. Click Submit.

   While using the Survey123 mobile app, you can use your current location from your mobile device GPS.

   Tip:

   Use the indicator button to progress to the next set of questions for each household member. For example, when 3 household members exist the indicator will display 1 of 3, tapping the indicator button will progress the survey to the same set of questions for the next household member.

Monitor progress

You will assume the role of the point-in-time coordinator again. Now that volunteers are checked-in and started to do the count, you will need to ensure all assignment areas are being covered and work has begun. In many cases, extra outreach workers may be on standby to help cover areas needing additional support. You will monitor the progress and may need to send outreach workers to areas where volunteers have not shown up or are not collecting data.

1. In a browser, go to the Point-in-Time Count Volunteer Manager.
2. Click the Check ins tab.
3. Explore the various metrics to ensure all assignment areas have volunteers that are checked in.
4. Click the Counts tab.
5. Explore the results collected by volunteer.

Note:

In the list of surveys collected, you can look at the length of time a survey was taken to help with quality control to ensure surveys are taking the appropriate amount of time, or where some volunteers may be falling behind due to longer interviews.

Visualize point-in-time data

You’ll assume the role of a director at a health and human service agency Continuum of Care that wants to see the point-in-time count results in real time. Within the solution there is a Point-in-Time Count Dashboard group to which appropriate users can be added, who will have access to the dashboard. Keep in mind that you are working with data that represents vulnerable populations and an appropriate level of care should be handled when sharing this data.

1. In a browser, go to the Point-in-Time Count dashboard.
2. Zoom around on the map to note how the heat map changes based upon the extent of the map.

   All information entered in the Point-in-Time Count survey automatically appears in this dashboard when submitted.

3. To the left of the app, click the arrow to expand the pane to filter.
4. Explore the various filters available.
5. Close the dashboard when done.

Note:

If you would like to share the data to wider audiences, follow the appropriate steps in de-identifying the count data when sharing.

Generate HUD Report

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has specific guidelines that govern how Continuums of Care must report the results of their point-in-time count. The Homelessness Point in Time solution accounts for these requirements in the data schema and provides a tool that generates a Microsoft Excel workbook in the format required by HUD. You will assume the role of the point-in-time coordinator that needs to generate the report.

Note:

You must be assigned a role of Administrator or custom role which includes the privilege to Create and edit notebooks in order to run an ArcGIS Notebooks and complete the following steps.

1. In a browser, go to your content in your ArcGIS organization and find the HUD Report Notebook included with the solution.
2. Open the item page click Open notebook.
3. Browse the instructions included with the notebook.

   Note:

   There are two cells that need to be executed. The first allows the notebook to create Excel spreadsheets and may take a few minutes to execute. The second cell creates the spreadsheet.

4. Upon completion of the notebook, click the link to the report and download the spreadsheet.

   This HUD Report is a summary of all the individual point-in-time surveys that were conducted compiled with metrics that can then be shared with HUD. Each HUD Report is given a date time stamp and stored in your ArcGIS Online account for future reference.

   Caution:

   The Point-in-Time Count survey has many questions with calculated values that are needed for the HUD report. If you modify the survey, it is recommended that you only add additional questions and do not make modifications to the existing values.