Every year during HUD’s Point in Time count of homeless persons, the local Continuum of Care (CoC) asks participants in shelters and unsheltered locations to tell us about their homeless experience.
The information gathered is used by agencies and local government to identify needs and housing barriers within the homeless community. Some questions are used to support the health outreach programs which provide services to vulnerable populations within our communities.
The survey is administered by volunteers across the CoC. Once collected, the personal information is removed from each survey and an ID is assigned. The survey answers are compiled and codified by JMU’s Research Methods class under the direction of Professor Rita Poteyeva, Ph.D. Assistant Professor in the Department of Justice Studies.