DHS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES SEVENTH ANNUAL
HOMELESS OUTREACH POPULATION ESTIMATE (HOPE)

Thousands of volunteers make one night count

January 27, 2009 – More than 2,000 volunteers hit the pavement to conduct the seventh annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) on Monday, January 26, 2009. The survey, which estimates the number of unsheltered individuals living on City streets, subway platforms, parks and other public spaces, helps gauge the success of outreach strategies against street homelessness. Volunteers each took over 10,000 steps to conduct the count, as they canvassed New York City and each of its five boroughs on foot.

"No one should ever have to endure the cruelties and discomforts of life on the streets," said Homeless Services Commissioner Robert V. Hess. "Not only does HOPE provide us a better understanding of the effectiveness of outreach efforts, but it also raises awareness citywide to the needs of homeless individuals. With the hard work and dedication of our volunteers, HOPE is a single night endeavor that counts in the lives of many vulnerable New Yorkers."

A news conference at the Manhattan media site kicked off the event at 11:00 p.m., after volunteers met at training sites located throughout the five boroughs. Following a brief orientation, teams dispersed to survey assigned geographic areas from midnight until 4 a.m.

Previous HOPE counts have demonstrated a 25 percent reduction in street homelessness since 2005 and a 12 percent decrease between 2007 and 2008. By measuring the number of individuals living on the streets each year, the City and its nonprofit outreach partners are able to evaluate if street homelessness is increasing or decreasing and adjust efforts in targeting this population.

In addition, to ensure the survey’s integrity, "decoys" posing as homeless individuals were also planted.  This "count within a count" measures the precision of the total estimate and allows HOPE to adjust its final estimate accordingly. The shadow count methodology was developed by Dr. Kim Hopper, a research scientist with the Nathan Kline Institute.

The City’s methodology for estimating the size of the street homeless population has been acknowledged by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as the "HUD standard" for statistically valid methodologies. Volunteer teams canvassed all areas identified to likely have at least one street homeless individual. In addition, a random sample of those areas not identified as likely to have street homeless individuals were also canvassed.