MADRID WORKSHOP: Surveys and demographics of homeless populatons

The second workshop of the CUHP thematic network was held in Madrid at Complutense University, hosted by the Psychology Department on the 9th and 10th of October 2003. It was attended on the first day by an expanded Complutense team and partner teams, and on the second day by politicians and officials responsible for homelessness in the National Ministry, the Region of Madrid and the City of Madrid, the Spanish Feantsa Co-ordinator and by NGOs working in the City of Madrid who presented their work.

Please click here for a full summary of the first workshop

- Summary of Madrid Workshop

The main work of the first day was to consider two papers. The first paper was presented from the French team by Maryse Marpsat, INED on: ‘Point-in-time Surveys of Homeless Populations’.
There were two parts to this paper
- A discussion of the specific problems of point-in-time surveys: defining the field, achieving an adequate sampling frame, mobility of the population, heterogeneity of the homeless population, ethics and fieldwork
- A discussion on the development of point-in-time surveys in the USA from estimates, through survey of homeless people living in hostels and on the streets, and two-stage sample surveys based on services.

Please click here for a copy of this paper.

- Point-in-time Surveys of Homeless Populations, by Maryse Marpsat

Discussion on Point-in-time Surveys.
Among several discussion points two were of methodological importance. First, it is important to establish in each country which method of sampling provides the most representative sample. Second, recommendations on methodology must relate to the original question. For example, point-in-time surveys are important for answering questions of demography (numbers, age, sex, race). Other questions relate to familial relations and the impact of being on the street and these questions require longitudinal and qualitative methods.

Please click on Summary Paper above

‘Psychosocial Assessment Instruments in Point-in-time Surveys’, and the discussion of these instruments was the second work of the Madrid Workshop. The paper was written by Manuel Munoz and Carmelo Vazquez, Complutense University, and presented a review of a sample of over 7000 references in Medline on Homelessness. The paper :
- Reviewed the most common psychosocial assessment instruments used for screening, diagnosis (mental health), measuring outcomes of interventions, for exploratory information, and for administrative information.
- Evaluated the instruments using the criterion of practicality, usefulness and it’s psychometric properties.
- Discussed the key variables covered by the instruments and the differing reliability of common instruments.

- Psychosocial Assessment Instruments in Point-in-time Surveys, by Manuel Muñoz, Carmelo Vázquez, Sonia Panadero and José Juan Vázquez

Each partner presented a short paper on the use of point-in-time surveys in their country.

- Point-of-time Quantitative Surveys of the Homeless Population in France, by Martine Quaglia, Nicholas Razafindratsima and Anne Sirot

- Quantitative Point-in-time Surveys in Denmark, by Tobias Stax

- Quantitative Point-in-time Analyses of Homelessness in the Netherlands, by Lia Van Doorn

- Demographics and trends of the homeless population in Italy: point-in-time studies, by Antonio Tosi

- Point-in-time Surveys: Establishing the characteristics of homeless populations in Spain, by Manuel Muñoz, Carmelo Vázquez, José Juan Vázquez and Sonia Panadero

- The demographics of the homelessness population in Hungary, by Sandor Erdosi jr, Eszter Somogyi, Peter Gyori, Fruzsina Albert - Beata David

- Quantitative point in time surveys of homelessness in the UK, by Dr Joan Smith