Debates about homelessness often lack one key voice: that of unsheltered residents themselves. But in Los Angeles, which struggles to manage its many homeless encampments, officials devised an innovative way to hear from those folks — and faster than previously possible and regarding regulations and other concerns that call for quick action.
The city sends mobile phone surveys directly to its homeless constituents.
Research indicates that 94% of the city’s unsheltered residents own cellphones — a surprisingly high number that’s due, in part, to inexpensive options and government programs that provide free devices.
In the initial survey, a team from the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of California, Los Angeles asked homeless individuals about their health, living conditions and housing preferences. Results showed that the city’s homeless are five times more likely to be food-insecure than the general L.A. population, three times more likely to be in poor health, and two times more likely to be anxious and depressed.
“The researchers were able to provide new information that just simply hadn’t been provided, but also help us learn that it is possible to collect data in
a less costly way than trying to go out to the streets and interview people,” said Gary Painter, Director of USC’s Homelessness Policy Research Institute, which released the initial findings.
Ninety percent of respondents want permanent or temporary housing, and only 2% would consider group shelters. The overwhelming aversion to group settings is largely due to safety concerns, lack of privacy and negative interactions with staff.
“There’s this sense that as long as you get people under a roof, that’s all that matters. It doesn’t matter the quality of their experience under the roof. Just get them under a roof, and they can figure it out themselves,” one survey respondent wrote.
Other surveys are planned throughout the year — “real time” means periodic, rather than annual, as it did in the past — and Los Angeles will measure the evolution of people’s feelings and circumstances. Questions also will explore emerging issues, including the city’s controversial encampment ordinances that restrict where homeless people can stay.
4 Tips for Using Real-Time Data
- Identify issues for which static data is too old to be truly useful. Where are your mission priorities and data resources misaligned?
- Consider the data you want to use and decide what “real time” means. Do you want constantly updated information, such as minute-by-minute stock market fluctuations? Or is fresh data every month OK?
- Work with a vendor to create a technological approach that collects all the information you want when you want it and presents the data in ways you prefer. Real-time analytics technology can be complicated, so find a vendor that can speak in a tech language you understand.
- Train employees to use and appreciate the real-time system. Switching from a single-instance data source to one that updates frequently can require a new way of working.
This article appears in our guide, “Decision Intelligence: New Possibilities for Data-Based Decision-Making.” For more about how agencies are using data in practical ways, download it here: