Transitional Shelter protocol

GQV Shelter Questionnaire – Cognitive Interview Protocol

Part 1: Exploratory Questions

Please describe the kinds of services that are provided in your facility.

Please tell me about the organization that operates your facility.

Do you use any particular terms when you refer to that organization?

What terms would you use to describe its relationship to the shelter? For example, would you say it manages the shelter, or owns the shelter, or something else?

Part 2: Cognitive Interview Questions

Next, I’d like to ask you some questions that our field staff will be asking staff at facilities such as yours in the next census. As you answer these questions, I’d like you to tell me what goes through your mind as you answer them. I’m not looking for anything in particular. I just want to get a sense of how you would go about answering the questions.

[As needed:] Please remember to say what you’re thinking about.

GQV Questionnaire – Shelter for People Experiencing Homelessness

1. [Review facility address before starting questionnaire.]

2. I am going to ask you questions about the building or facility at _____.

3. I am going to show you a list. [Show respondent flashcard by sharing the window of the flashcard file. Close after response.] Which of these categories best describes this place? RESPONSE:___________________

4. What is the full name of this shelter? RESPONSE:___________________

5. What is the maximum number of people who can live or stay at this shelter? RESPONSE:___________________

6. In addition to providing housing, do you also operate a soup kitchen here for people experiencing homelessness?

RESPONSE: Yes No

If Yes, Go to 7

If No, Go to 9

7. What is the full name of this soup kitchen?

RESPONSE:___________________

8. What is the maximum number of people who can be served a meal at this soup kitchen? RESPONSE:___________________

9. Do you also operate a regularly scheduled mobile food van?

RESPONSE: Yes No

If Yes, Go to 10

If No, Go to 12

10. What is the full name of the facility that operates the regularly scheduled mobile food van?

RESPONSE:___________________

11. What is the maximum number of people you can serve from the regularly scheduled mobile food van?

RESPONSE:___________________

12. [Give respondent “GQV-TL Brochure” that explains the GQAC and GQE operations, and allow time to read it.] As you can see, there will be two more operations. First, the Advance Contact operation is scheduled to be conducted during February and March. Then the enumeration operation will begin in April. Are you the best person to reach out to during those future operations, as the primary contact for this address?

RESPONSE: Yes No

If Yes, Go 14a

If No, Go to 13

13. What is the name of the primary contact person we should contact at that time?

14a. What is [your/their] job title?

14b. What is [your/their] business email address?

14c. What is [your/their] business telephone number?

15. Is there a secondary contact person for this address?

RESPONSE: Yes No

If Yes, go to 16a

If No, go to 17

16a. What is their name?

16b. What is their job title?

16c. What is their business email address?

16d. What is their business telephone number?

17. During the Advance Contact operation, how would you prefer to answer our questions? Your options are to complete an internet questionnaire, be interviewed over the telephone, or be interviewed in person.

RESPONSE: Internet Questionnaire, Telephone Interview, or In-Person Interview

If Internet Questionnaire, go to 18.

If telephone or in-person option, go to 19.

18a. To respond through the internet questionnaire, you will need to swear an oath to keep the data confidential before you can complete the questionnaire. I can help you quickly complete that oath now before I leave, or we can send you instructions later about how to make an appointment to complete the oath through a video call.

Do you want to complete the confidentiality oath now?

RESPONSE: Yes No

If yes, present SSS Text document on screen and go to 18b.

If no, go to Q19.

18b. Please read this document and indicate whether you would sign it.

RESPONSE: Yes No

19. That completes the interview. Thank you for your time and cooperation. Someone may contact you by telephone to verify this interview.

Retrospective Probes

Thank you for sharing your thoughts as you answered those questions. In your opinion, were these questions easy or difficult to answer? Why do you say that?

[If response is “difficult”:] Which questions did you find difficult to answer? Why were they difficult?

Now I’d like to ask you some follow-up questions.

[Review answer from Q3] First, I showed you a list of different kinds of facilities, and you chose ___. [If needed, show respondent flashcard by sharing the flashcard window.]

How did you decide which description to choose?

How easy or difficult was it to choose one? Why do you say that?

[Review answer from Q4] Next I asked you what is the full name of this shelter, and you said ___.

What does that question mean to you?

How easy or difficult was it to answer that question? Why do you say that?

[Review answer from Q5] Next I asked you what is the maximum number of people who can live or stay at this shelter and you said ___.

How did you come up with your answer to that question?

How easy or difficult was it to answer that question? Why do you say that?

[If needed] What does “live or stay at this shelter” mean to you?

[Review answer from Q6] Next I asked you whether you also operate a soup kitchen here for people experiencing homeless and you said ___.

How did you come up with your answer to that question?

In this question we ask whether you operate a soup kitchen for people experiencing homelessness. Would you answer the same way if the question just said “operate a soup kitchen” and did not specify “for people experiencing homelessness”? Why do you say that?

[Review answer from Q7] Next you said the full name of the soup kitchen was___.

How did you come up with your answer to that question?

[Review answer from Q8] Then you said the maximum number of people who can be served a meal at the soup kitchen is ___.

What does that question mean to you?

How did you come up with your answer to that question?

How easy or difficult was it to answer that question? Why do you say that?

[Review answer from Q9] Next I asked whether you operate a regularly scheduled food van and you said ___.

What does that question mean to you?

In your opinion, is this question clear or not clear? Why do you say that?

[IF NEEDED] What does “regularly scheduled” mean to you in this question?

[Review answer from Q10] Next I asked for the full name of the facility that operates the food van, and you said ___.

How did you come up with your answer to that question?

How easy or difficult was it to answer that question? Why do you say that?

What does “facility” mean to you in this question?

What terms do you use to refer to the agency or organization that operates the food van?

[Review answer from Q11] Then I asked what is the maximum number of people you can serve from the food van, and you said ___.

What does that question mean to you?

How did you come up with your answer to that question?

How easy or difficult was it to answer that question? Why do you say that?

[Review answer from Q12] Next I asked you to review a brochure about the Advance Contact operation and asked you if you were the best person to reach out to during that operation.

What do you think is the purpose of that brochure?

In your opinion, was the information in the brochure clear or not clear? Why do you say that?

Then I asked you if you were the best person to reach out to during that operation and you said ___.

What does that question mean to you?

What do you think the contact person will be asked to do during that operation?

[Review answers from Q13 and Q15] Next I asked you for [your contact information / contact information for a primary contact] and information for a secondary contact].

[If Q12 = no] How did you decide whose name to provide as a primary contact?

[If Q15 = yes] How did you decide whose information to provide as a secondary contact?

Would you have any concerns about providing [your contact information / contact information for a primary contact] and information for a secondary contact]?

[Review answer from Q17] Next I asked you how you would prefer to answer our questions during the Advance Contact operation and you said ___.

What does that question mean to you?

How did you decide how to answer that question?

[If needed] Please tell me in your own words what the three options mean to you:

Internet questionnaire?

Telephone interview?

In-person Interview?

[If Q17 = Internet Questionnaire, review answers from Q18a and 18b] Finally, I asked you whether you wanted to complete an oath to keep the data confidential now, and you said ___.

What does that question mean to you?

How easy or difficult was it to answer that question? Why do you say that?

Then I showed you the oath document. What did you think about that?

Please tell me in your own words what you think is the purpose of the oath we ask you to take?

Would you have any concerns about signing such a document? Why do you say that?

If you didn’t want to sign the form now we could set up an appointment for you to complete the oath later through a video call. What does that mean to you?

Have you ever used a video conference application on a computer? [If needed] These would include applications like Microsoft Teams, WebEx, and Zoom.

Thank you for talking about how you came up with your responses to those questions. Next, I’d like you to look at the definitions we have for the types of facilities we asked about during the questionnaire.

Part 3: GQ Type Definitions

[Present definition(s) appropriate for the participant’s GQ type(s) on-screen and ask the participant to read while thinking aloud.]

Emergency and Transitional Shelters (with Sleeping Facilities) for People Experiencing Homelessness

Facilities where people experiencing homelessness stay overnight. These include:

• Shelters that operate on a first-come, first-served basis where people must leave in the morning and have no guaranteed bed for the next night;

• Shelters where people know that they have a bed for a specified period of time (even if they leave the building every day); and

• Shelters that provide temporary shelter during extremely cold weather (such as churches).

Examples are emergency and transitional shelters; missions; hotels and motels used to shelter people experiencing homelessness; shelters for children who are runaways, neglected or experiencing homelessness; and similar places known to have people experiencing homelessness. Does not include transitional housing that provides short-term residences to people experiencing homelessness or other crisis to help them transition into their own housing.

Soup Kitchens, Day Centers, and Drop-In Centers for People Experiencing Homelessness

Soup Kitchens are places that offer meals, organized as food service lines or bag or box lunches, for people experiencing homelessness. For purposes of the census, a soup kitchen is a physical building where food is cooked and served, and does not include temporary or “pop-up” outdoor locations. Also does not include food pantries or food insecurity services that deliver meals to private residences.

Day Centers and Drop-In Centers for People Experiencing Homelessness are places that provide non-shelter services such as showers, laundry, internet access, case management, etc. They may charge a fee or provide service for free, and may reserve times for specific genders. Does not include elder care day centers intended for people who are not experiencing homelessness.

Regularly Scheduled Mobile Food Van Stops and Other Outdoor Food Distribution Locations

Street locations where mobile food vans regularly stop to provide food to people experiencing homelessness.

Outdoor locations where charitable organizations may regularly go for a few hours to serve food to people experiencing homelessness, either with mobile food vans or by other means.

Does not include food insecurity services that deliver meals to private residences.

[For each definition:] What is your opinion about our definition as it relates to your facility?

Is there anything about this definition that you would change?

[For all:] What does “people experiencing homelessness” mean to you?

What about the terms “unhoused” or “unsheltered”? Are you familiar with those terms?

Do those terms all mean the same thing, or do they have different meanings?

Are there better terms or phrases that we could use to describe people who do not have a place to live and may seek services from shelters, soup kitchens, or regularly scheduled mobile food vans?

[For Emergency and Transitional Shelters:] What do you think of the three bulleted items in the definition for Emergency and Transitional Shelters?

In your opinion, are they accurate?

Do you find them helpful or not helpful? Why do you say that?

In your opinion, will any of these items be less relevant by the year 2030 than they may have been 10 or 20 years ago?

Can you think of any other criteria that we should include in the definition?

One of the examples we list is “hotels and motels used to shelter people experiencing homelessness.”

Have you heard of hotels or motels being used that way?

Do you think that type of situation occurs often?

We are thinking of alternative ways to describe these kinds of shelters:

1. “hotels and motels that are being used as shelters for people experiencing homelessness”

2. “hotels and motels that have been temporarily or permanently converted to shelters for people experiencing homelessness”

[After asking each alternative:] What does this question mean to you?

Would your answer to this question be the same or different from the answer you gave before?

[After asking both:] In your opinion, is either of these alternatives better than our original example? Why do you say that?

Another example listed in this definition is the phrase “shelters for children who are runaways, neglected or experiencing homelessness.”

In your opinion, is this example useful or not useful? Why do you say that?

We are currently considering whether to remove the word “neglected” from this example because we are concerned that this may be confused with foster homes or group homes for children.

What do you think about removing the word “neglected” from this example for shelters?

Do you have any suggestions to clarify this issue?

Are there other examples that we should consider adding or removing for our definition of Emergency and Transitional Shelters?

[Point to last sentence, “Does not include transitional housing…”] What does this sentence mean to you?

In your opinion, is this statement clear or not clear? Why do you say that?

Have you heard of this kind of short-term housing before?

[If yes] What terms have you heard that are used to describe this kind of housing?

[For Soup Kitchens:]

[Point to second sentence, “For purposes of the census…”] What does this statement mean to you?

In your opinion, is this sentence clear or not clear? Why do you say that?

Have you heard of temporary or pop-up soup kitchens?

[If yes:] What terms have you heard used to describe them?

[Point to third sentence, “Also does not include food pantries…”] What does this statement mean to you?

In your opinion, is this sentence clear or not clear? Why do you say that?

What terms would you use to refer to food insecurity services that deliver meals to private residences?

[Point to second paragraph] What does the second paragraph mean to you?

In your opinion, is this section clear or not clear? Why do you say that?

Have you heard of day centers or drop-in centers for people experiencing homelessness?

[If yes:] What terms do you use to refer to such places?

[Point to last sentence of second paragraph, “Does not include…”] What does this sentence mean to you?

In your opinion, is this sentence clear or not clear? Why do you say that?

Do you have suggestions about the best wording to use to avoid them being confused with elder care day centers?

[For Regularly Scheduled Mobile Food Van Stops:]

Have you heard of outdoor locations where meals are served without a food truck?

[If yes:] What terms do you use to refer to these kinds of food distribution activities that don’t involve food being served from a vehicle?

In your opinion, would it be helpful or not helpful to clarify that this category excludes food trucks where people pay for the food?

[If yes:] Do you have any suggestions for language that would clarify this?

[Point to last sentence, “Does not include food insecurity services…”] What does this statement mean to you?

In your opinion, is this sentence clear or not clear? Why do you say that?

What terms would you use to refer to food insecurity services that deliver meals to private residences?

In your opinion, should we consider including the concept of mobile medical vans for people experiencing homelessness?

Part 3: Additional Questions (time permitting)

Approximately what proportion of soup kitchens are run by (or in conjunction with) emergency or transitional shelters, and/or regularly scheduled mobile food vans?

What other types of organizations run soup kitchens?

Approximately what proportion of regularly scheduled mobile food vans are run by (or in conjunction with) emergency or transitional shelters, and/or soup kitchens?

What other types of organizations run regularly scheduled mobile food vans?

Some Drop-In Centers may allow people to sleep there overnight in order to be out of the elements. For example, we found one description online that said the following about drop-in centers in the New York City area: “Drop-in centers offer some social services and allow single adults who have nowhere else to stay to come indoors for the night and sleep in a chair, away from the elements outdoors.” Approximately what proportion of Drop-In Centers allow this?

During the actual census, what would be the job title of the best person to answer questions about the services provided at your facility?

Do you have any suggestions for the best ways to contact them?

Would the same person be able to coordinate with Census Bureau staff to collect demographic information (such as name, sex, date of birth, and race) from clients? [If needed:] For example, to allow Census Bureau staff to distribute questionnaires to the clients or conduct interviews with the clients?