I’m a qualitative sociologist and while I sometimes like to play with numbers and images I’m often very limited in what I’m able to do myself. I was very excited to learn recently of a tool created by researchers from the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.
Called Homelessness Analytics, the tool allows users to “explore maps, create customized tables, generate charts and funnel data into spreadsheets or databases to conduct independent analysis” according to the University of Pennsylvania, University Communications office.
They add, “Other functions include modeling and forecasting features that allow users to simulate expected changes in homelessness given changes in underlying indicators at the community level. As an example, a user can create a model of the relationship between median rent costs and the rates of homelessness in a specific region to better understand how changes in the housing market could impact homelessness.”
The tool was created by researchers Dennis Culhane and Tom Byrne, who also work with the National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans.
In the school’s press release Culhane says “This technology provides a new way to examine the problem of homelessness and is a terrific example of what can be achieved through collaborative efforts between academic and government partners.”
It’s a very easy tool to use. I queried the trends in homelessness between New Orleans and Houston (thinking back to the blog on New Orleans recovery) and was easily able to generate a chart that tracked changes over several years.
The website is full of information compiled from dozens of sources, including the American Community Survey, the Centers for Disease Control’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, HUD’s Fair Market Rents, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service Program.
Homelessness Analytics was built by Azavea, a development firm in Philadelphia that specializes in the creation of location-based Web and mobile software. In 2011, Azavea also worked with the City of Toronto to develop Toronto Wellbeing, a web application used to measure, monitor and map community wellbeing across 140 neighbourhoods.
See the full report from University of Pennsylvania, University Communications office.