NSHAPC was conducted to provide updated information on homeless assistance programs and the clients who use them to federal agencies responsible for administering homeless assistance programs and to other interested parties. The data are national in scope, and the survey is the first to gather through one effort a wide range of information relevant to the missions of the federal sponsors. NSHAPC was not conducted to produce a count of homeless persons. NSHAPC was conducted under the direction of the Interagency Council on the Homeless.

Many topics and subtopics list links to sites to help you find related content from other federal statistical agencies and trusted sources.

In the United States, our federal statistical system is decentralized, spanning 127 agencies spread across the government, all of which are engaged in collecting data and producing statistics. The Census Bureau and 13 other agencies have statistical work as their principal mission and make up the Interagency Council for Statistical Policy.

Other trusted sources include non-statistical agencies of the federal government and organizations such as the American Red Cross.

• Files are also available on CD-ROM for $50.
  • Order by phone at 301-763-INFO(4636)
  • Order by FAX at 888-249-7295
• For general technical assistance related to file formats and downloading, visit our Question and Answer Center.
• After reading the data file documentation (codebooks, introduction to NSHAPC public use files, etc.) contained on the NSHAPC CD, you may obtain assistance from Martha Burt at The Urban Institute. Assistance will be limited to understanding the data files and available from November 1999 to October 2000, or until assistance resources are expended. The Urban Institute will not provide help with designing specialized data analyses. Martha Burt can be contacted by e-mail at mburt@ui.urban.org; in writing at NSHAPC Assistance/Martha Burt, The Urban Institute, 2100 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037; or by telephone at 202-261-5551. E-mail contact is preferable.
• For copies of the NSHAPC reports, please call HUD USER 800-245-2691.
• General questions may be directed to the Interagency Council on the Homeless 202-708-1480.