This comprehensive review of current methods of counting homeless persons was commissioned by the Institute of Medicine to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. The authors conclude that caution should be exercised in interpreting any of the available data, but that accurate estimates for individual communities are possible. Developmental work still remains to be done in the following areas: coming to agreement on a definition of who is homeless; comparative research to determine better methodologies for studying the population; and more comprehensive capture-recapture models.
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