How are the homeless counted?
Because there is no clear definition of the homeless population and they actually have many different living arrangements, the Census Bureau has a very difficult time counting and reporting this population. The Census Bureau counts this group in several operations. One of these operations is to count people getting services at places such as homeless shelters or mobile food vans. Another operation is to work with local communities and advocates for the homeless to identify places where the homeless congregate at night, such as specific parks, streets, or under bridges. Then the Census Bureau will send enumerators out to count people at these locations on a particular night in March 2010. Many people who cannot afford their own homes or apartments will move in with family and/or friends for a period of time. These people should be included in that housing units questionnaire.
