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PIT Frequently Asked Questions

PIT Frequently Asked Questions

Before contacting CCEH with questions, take a moment to review these frequently asked questions.

Questions List

When is the count?

  • CT PIT 2012 will take place on January 25, 2012 from 7-11 pm. The postponement date for the Count is January 26, 2012 from 7-11pm.

  • CCEH will determine if the count will be delayed by 7am on 1/25/12 and will alert Count Coordinators and other CT PIT 2012 contacts if a delay is in effect.

What is the purpose of the count?

  • The count will collect data to inform efforts to end homelessness in Connecticut and to help service providers and policy makers to better understand the needs of homeless people.
  • At the local level, data collected will be used by the local Continuums of Care in their annual applications to HUD for homeless assistance funding. It will also be useful to the Ten Year Plans to End Homelessness that have been developed in five local Connecticut communities.
  • CT PIT 2012 will increase the public's awareness of the problem of homelessness.
  • The coordinated volunteer efforts on the evening of the actual count and the data collected will draw attention to the extent of the problem.
  • The count will collect baseline data that will assist in assessing progress toward achieving the goal of preventing, reducing (and ending) homelessness.
  • The data will identify and quantify some of the disabling health conditions of chronically homeless people, which will help plan future services to meet the needs of homeless individuals and families.
  • Advocates across the state will use this statewide data on homelessness to help with continuing advocacy efforts to secure needed resources.

Is there going to be both a sheltered count and an unsheltered count during the 2012 Count?

No. CT PIT 2012 includes only a sheltered count. HUD mandates a street count during odd-numbered years only.

Who is organizing CT PIT 2012?

  • CT PIT 2012 is being coordinated statwide by the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness.
  • At the local level, 8 Continua of Care across the state are coordinating the local counts in the towns and cities in their areas. These Continuums of Care are experienced in these counts, and have conducted their own individual point-in-time counts for the past several years.
  • Continua of Care are local social service organizations, government agencies, businesses and other concerned stakeholders that participate in local homeless assistance program planning networks and apply for and receive homelessness assistance grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). They work together to coordinate their efforts to address housing and homelessness issues and reduce homelessness in their local communities.
  • CCEH is partnering with staff from Central Connecticut State University and Nutmeg Consulting, LLC. in work onthis years sheltered   Count.

Why is it important to use a consistent state-wide methodology?

Using a consistent and rigorous methodology will help to ensure that the data are reliable and comparable across years and can be used to design effective interventions to help people experiencing homelessness.

Which programs should participate in the count?

Programs that are explicitly designated to serve homeless people AND whose clients enter the program directly from homelessness should participate in the Count.

DCF-funded programs and programs with no beds designated fir homeless people should NOT participate in the count.

What data are collected from emergency shelters and transitional housing programs?

Emergency shelters and transitional housing programs designated for homeless people should count BOTH THEIR BEDS AND THEIR PEOPLE (Pop & Bed) and collect client demographic data.

What data are collected from permanent supportive housing programs?

Permanent supportive housing programs designated for homeless people should count their BEDS AND THEIR PEOPLE and DO NOT collect client demographic data.

How is client demographic data going to be collected this year?

Emergency Shelters that participate in the Connecticut Homelessness Management Information System (CT HMIS) will utilize their regular CT HMIS intake assessment (W658) as their data collection tool.
 

CT HMIS participating Transitional housing programs will use the W658 as well. However, this is not a regular Transitional housing program assessment. Transitional Housing Programs will complete a short CT PIT assessment in CT HMIS from which data will then be extracted and used for CT PIT 2012. Data points that are both collected during usual transitional intake and include on the Point in Time Count assessment on CT HMIS will automatically populate in the CT PIT 2012 HMIS assessment. This automatic population of existing systems data requires less data entry into the system among transitional programs with complete client data.
 

Table including details regarding necessary submissions by program type.

 

Program Type

Name

Include In HIC?

Include in PIT?

 

 

Emergency Shelter

Emergency Shelter programs (including those funded by HUD ESG and other federal, state and local public and private sources)

 

√

 

√

Hotel/ motel vouchers

√

√

VA-funded: Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) VA community Contract Emergency Housing (prefix HCHV/EH)

 

√

 

 

√

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transitional Housing

Transitional housing program (including those funded by HUD SHP and other federal, state, and local and private sources)

 

√

 

√

HUD- funded: Rapid Re-Housing

Demonstration (RRHD) Program

√

√

VA-funded: VA grant and Per Diem (prefix GDP)

√

√

VA- funded: VA mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs- Domiciliary Care for Treatment Program (prefix VADOM)

 

√

 

√

VA- funded: Health Care for Homeless Veterans VA Community Contract Residential Treatment Program (prefix HCHV/RT)

 

√

 

√

VA-funded: VA Compensated Work Therapy

-Transitional Residential (prefix CWT/TR)

 

√

 

√

HPRP Homeless Assistance

HPRP Homeless Assistance (Rapid Re-Housing)

√

 

 

Safe Haven

HUD- funded Safe Haven programs

√

√

VA-funded: Health Care for Homeless Veterans Community Contract Safe Haven Programs (HCHVSH)

 

√

 

√

 

Permanent Supportive Housing

Permanent supportive housing programs (including those funded by HUD S+C, SHP, SRO, and other federal, state and local public and private sources)

 

√

 

Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (prefix VASH)

√

 

 

How is Connecticut collecting client demograpgic data this year?

All persons over the age of 18 should be surveyed in all emergency shelters and transitional housing programs statewide. Regardless of HMIS participation, survey data from all adults staying in an ES or TH program on the night of the Count should be collected and reported.

Permanent supportive housing programs DO NOT survey their clients.

For programs that participate in CT HMIS: 

Emergency Shelters: CT PIT 2012 data will be extracted from CT HMIS. No other data entry or survey tool will be used other than the usual shelter intake assessment on HMIS.

Transitional Housing Programs: Will have to complete a short CT PIT assessment on CT HMIS which will then be extracted and used for CT PIT 2012. Many of the usual data points collected during transitional housing intake will auto-populate the PIT Assessment in CT HMIS, requiring only a small amount of additional data entry on the night of the Count. The more complete client data is maintained in CT HMIS, the less additional data transitional housing providers will need to input in the CT PIT assessment. 

For programs that DO NOT participate in CT HMIS:

All non-participating HMIS agencies will complete paper forms on the night of the count.  All forms must be photocopied; copies of the originals should be ready for pickup by a Nutmeg representative by Wednesday, February 9, 2012. 

How is Connecticut collecting Bed & Population Counts this Year?

Every emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing program across the state will complete one Bed Count and one Population Count on the night of the Count. Bed Counts are intended to reflect the capacity & configuration of programs on the night of the Count. Population Counts are intended to reflect the number of clients staying at each program on the night of the Count.

Bed counts and Population counts will be completed electronically through a website we will provide in the near future.

Programs without internet access will complete bed counts via paper form, distributed to those specific programs by respective Area Points of Contact.

All Bed & Population Count data (regardless of collection and submission method) are due to Nutmeg Consulting by February 9, 2012.

With timely submissions, turnaround time for data needed to meet HUD deadlines can be significantly reduced.

Which beds/units should we count?

Count all beds/units designated for homeless people. Count each available bed/unit that exists on the night of the count, whether or not it is occupied and whether or not it is supported by HUD funds.

DO NOT count beds/units that are not specifically designated for homeless people including:

  • Beds/units at mental health or substance abuse programs if they are not designated for homeless people. 
  • Beds/units at DCF-funded programs. 
  • Beds not actually available on the night of the count (e.g., beds in development or beds off-line for repairs).

How do we count households?

For HUD’s purposes, there are three types of households.

  1. Households with at least one adult and one child.
    • Definition: Households with at least one adult over 18 accompanying at least one child under 18 years of age.
  2. Households without any children.
    • Definition: Single individuals over 18 & households comprised of members all over the age of 18.  
  3. Households with only children.
    • Definition: Unaccompanied persons under 18 & households comprised of members all under 18. Families headed by someone under 18 with children are included here.

How do we administer the client survey?

In the past emergency shelter and transitional programs should survey their clients with survey tools. If your program had 40 or fewer adults on the night of the count, interview every adult. If your program had 41 or more adults, interview every second adult (50%).  Your program had to interview only every second adult, create a random numbered list of all adults staying at the program on the night of the count or use your bed roster. Then interview every second person on your list (50% of adults).

For CT PIT 2012  all emergency and transitional programs should collect client demographic data from everyone the night of the count.

My program serves multiple houshold types but does not have a specific number of beds designated exclusively for a single type. How do we count beds accurately?

HUD has released simple formulas this year to assist bed counting in programs that serve different kinds of households and do not designate beds for any specific type.  

  • Divide based on average utilization (data standards methodology)
    OR
  • Divide based on usage on the night of the count (previous HIC guidance)

I know how many units my program has, but the number of beds fluctuates depending on need. How do we count beds accurately?

HUD has released a simple formula for determining the number of beds for programs without a static number of beds.

HUD is asking these programs to multiply the number of units by the average household size at that program.

Example: A program with an average household size of 3 and 10 fixed units.
Multiply 3 (average household size) by 10 (fixed units at program).
This program would report 30 beds for households with at least one adult and one child.

Where can i find the CT PIT 2012 Survey form?

New this year, CT PIT 2012 count survey forms will not be on the CCEH website.

Area Points of Contact will receive paper survey forms to disseminate to all programs that do not participate in CT HMIS. Paper surveys will be available in both in English and Spanish.  

Who is my Area Point of Contact? (Formally known as Reginal Coordinator)?

Contact information for all CT PIT 2012 Area Points of Contact will be available at www.cceh.org.

The role of the Area Points of Contact is distinct from those of former Regional Coordinators in that much of the responsibilities formerly assigned to Coordinators will be unnecessary due to significant simplification in sheltered count methodology in CT PIT 2012.

Where can I find the CT PIT 2012 instructions and forms?

All the count insructions and forms (including Recorded Webinars) will be available at www.cceh.org

When is CT PIT 2012 data due?

All CT PIT 2012 data (regardless of collection and submission processes) are due to Nutmeg Consulting by February 9, 2012.

Who can I contact if I have questions?

If you have questions, please contact your local count coordinator or Edward J. Lazu at elazu@cceh.org or (860) 721-7876 x106.