Reminder: tips for the upcoming census

The 2011 Census is drawing near with the count scheduled to take place on Tuesday August 9. With anecdotal reports indicating that every person missed in the count costs area services approximately $4,000 a year in lost funding, encouraging homeless clients to report their street address as None on the census form becomes especially important. 
 
The proposed commonwealth review of the census methodology is already threatening to slash data on the number of people experiencing homelessness in Australia by 40%. However, there a number of things you can do to enhance the integrity of your local count:
 
Contact the ABS to ensure that they have green ticketed your crisis accommodation properties so that your clients are counted correctly
 
Let the ABS know how to locate or contact homeless persons in your area
 
Make sure that clients staying in brokered accommodation such as hotels, motels, backpackers hostels, caravan parks, and other temporary accommodation are aware that they should report None as their usual address on the census form to differentiate them from holiday makers
 
Assure clients staying in overcrowded conditions that reporting overcrowding is confidential, will not be used against them, and will be used to enhance service delivery funding
 
Prominently display and distribute awareness raising materials at your services
 
Work with your Youth Support Coordinators to encourage homeless youth to report their circumstances correctly
Seconde outreach workers to assist with primary homelessness counts
 
For more information on ways that you can improve the homeless count in your area contact the Queensland Census Management Unit on 3222 6008.