Hidden from Sight: Tailoring San Francisco’s Point-In-Time Count to Reach ‘Invisible’ Families

San Francisco’s 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) count recognized a startling 97.6% increase in families experiencing unsheltered homelessness since 2022. This radical change was largely thanks to methodological changes such as the addition of Compass staff texting clients and informing them of the PIT count’s follow-up telephone survey. Still, a few hundred families missed the opportunity to confirm or deny whether they were experiencing unsheltered homelessness that night because they did not respond to the call, and some who did respond were hesitant to disclose critical data.

Because the PIT count is such a publicly accessible, widely-cited metric of homelessness, an inaccurate count of unsheltered homeless families can have serious consequences. Higher numbers shown by this year’s PIT count pressured policymakers to address the urgency of family homelessness through the Safer Families Plan. Although this growing need has been recognized for years by anecdotal experience of direct service providers and non-PIT count administrative data collected by local family-serving systems, the Plan was only announced a day before preliminary PIT count results were released. So, why does San Francisco struggle to count families accurately for the PIT count? What can be done to address this issue?

I had the privilege of partnering with Compass’s policy team on a new white paper that helps to provide some answers.

Read the White Paper

Why are Homeless Families Hidden?

Families experiencing homelessness tend to fall into categories of “hidden homelessness” because homeless families are less likely than single adults to be unsheltered or living on the streets [1]. Many low income San Francisco families seek to stay close to their own communities and informal support networks despite rising housing costs, so they may be temporarily housed or doubled-up in studio or one-bedroom apartments with relatives. In addition, raising children away from public spaces reduces exposure to encampment sweeps, unsanitary sidewalks, open-air drug use, and violence [2][3],  For these reasons and others, many families experiencing homelessness are left out of the PIT count because they live in conditions that do not reflect “unsheltered homelessness” by PIT count standards; or, they are meant to be included, but are not easily identified, such as families living in cars or recreational vehicles (RVs). 

Furthermore, misinformation and mistrust may keep families from participating in the count. Some families involved in the homeless response system are also involved with the child welfare system. Fear of losing custody of children can make it difficult for families to engage with and trust outreach workers. Families who are homeless, especially Black, Indigenous, and other BIPOC families, may fear engaging with the child welfare system, which historically intervenes at disproportionately high rates in Black and Latinx communities [4]. Similarly, undocumented families may hesitate to engage with outreach workers due to language barriers, fear, trauma, or misinformation about the public charge rule which ended in 2022 [5].

During my internship with the Public Policy and External Affairs team at Compass, I had the opportunity to support the End Poverty Tows Coalition in their advocacy for RV residents displaced by parking restrictions from street paving on Winston Boulevard. The families, many of whom are newly arrived immigrants, were forced to leave on short notice without guarantee of shelter, a safe parking site, or long-term housing. Many were not offered support from DHSH because they were unable to be present for DHSH’s limited outreach; those who were offered support heard mixed messages about the type of housing subsidy they would receive. By observing the stress that arose from these complicated interactions between the City, service providers, and families, I witnessed firsthand the importance of informed, consistent outreach that prioritizes clear communication in the language and vocabulary of the clients.

Those who are overlooked by the PIT count tend to be those who hide away for the safety of their children [6]. Homelessness service providers agree that the number of families they serve has increased in recent years due to an increase in migrant families and families no longer receiving COVID-era benefits. Because BIPOC individuals and newcomers make up a large proportion of San Francisco’s growing population of families experiencing homelessness, service providers and PIT count administrators must acknowledge the needs of individuals with multiple marginalized identities to execute effective outreach.

Recommendations for improving unsheltered family engagement in the PIT count:

Build trust with families prior to the count by leveraging partnerships with service providers who already have long standing relationships with the people. Elevate the power of personal networks within tight-knit communities of families living in RVs and cars. Extend the period of education and communication prior to outreach so that case managers can inform their clients, providers can host workshops, families can prepare, and information can be shared within communities.

Diversify volunteer teams to feature at least one guide who identifies with each marginalized identity of the target population. Strategically deploy volunteer teams across neighborhoods based on the identities of the target population. Sharing the same language, race, nationality, gender, or age with a volunteer can promote understanding and cooperation amongst those being counted. Other cities have seen success in pairing a surveyor team with an individual who has current or past experience of homelessness [7]. A guide with this experience can provide real-time expertise on where people may reside, show volunteers how to engage in a safe manner, and build credibility for claims of privacy and confidentiality. 

Revise outreach to explicitly communicate who has access to data and how it is used for the families’ benefit. This year, Compass Family Services texted clients about the phone survey and mentioned that the survey was anonymous and confidential. To alleviate the stress of engaging with a hostile system, DHSH administrators may consider emphasizing the confidentiality of the information as it pertains to undocumented families or other marginalized groups.

Clarify safe, respectful, and non-invasive instructions that all volunteers and Access Point providers implement consistently. Train volunteers to abide by objective counting metrics where possible to ensure data is gathered consistently across the city and across subgroups of the homeless population. Standardize the language within text and spoken communication across providers. 

A Step Towards Ending Family Homelessness

The crisis of family homelessness in San Francisco is a complex issue that demands innovative and compassionate solutions informed by the lived experiences of families themselves. While the recent increase in reported family homelessness due to improved methodology is a step towards acknowledging the problem, the true scale of the crisis is still hidden from the public eye. To improve upon this year’s methodological changes for future PIT counts, DHSH and policymakers must design equity into the counting processes and deepen partnerships with service providers and members of the community.

By making changes such as investing in trust-building communication, diversifying outreach teams, and emphasizing data privacy, we can begin to dismantle the barriers that prevent families from being seen. But the PIT count is just one tool to push San Francisco towards the changes it must make to end family homelessness. It is time to move beyond merely counting the homeless and towards creating a city where all families have the opportunity to thrive. Increased investment in social services for families can be demonstrated through the City’s administration of subsidies from the Safer Families Plan or prioritization of prevention interventions that keep families from falling into homelessness in the first place. As DHSH and other city department administrators continue to iterate on PIT count methodology for families, the Mayor, City Supervisors, and other policy makers must prepare to address the larger and more complex truths about family homelessness that more comprehensive and transparent data will reflect. 

About Erin

Erin Su is a senior at Stanford University from Cupertino, CA who completed a summer internship with Compass’s Public Policy and External Affairs team. She studies public health and urban planning as a human biology major and plans to pursue a career in city planning, land use, or environmental law. 

Citations

1. Compass Family Services. (2023). “Homelessness FAQ.” Compass Family Services, Compass SF.

2. Evans, C. (2024). “San Franciscans awaken to the cruelty—and futility— of homeless sweeps.” The San Francisco Standard. 

3. Har, J. (2024). “Terrified residents of San Francisco’s Tenderloin district sue for streets free of drugs, tents.” Associated Press News.

4. California Child Welfare Co-Investment Partnership. (2018). Housing Insecurity and Child Welfare. Insights, Volume XV. 

5. San Francisco Immigrant Support. “Public Charge.” City and County of San Francisco Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs.

6. Alvarado, M. (2024). “SF Homeless Shelters Struggle to Accommodate Migrant Families.” San Francisco Public Press. 

7. Bergmann et al. (2021). Strategies to Improve Point-In-Time (PIT) Counts of Unsheltered Homelessness: An Evaluation of Hennepin County’s Current Approach and Summary of Lessons Learned from Other Communities. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota.