How to Enter Point-in-Time Forms
If you have any question about entering the data, please don't hesitate to call (360) 725-2930.

IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR PAPER FORMS AFTER ENTERING THEM. Until the results have been tabulated and finalized, we may need the paper forms to complete the count.  When the results are published, you can dispose of the forms.

Login to the system
- Obtain a login/password from your count coordinator.
- Point you internet web browser (such as Microsoft Internet Explorer) to the address: https://housing-information.net/count/ You may get some warning about security of the site.  Ignore them and click "OK"
- Enter your login and password

Entering a Form - Individual Information
- After logging in (see above), you should see a screen with a yellow-colored menu on the left hand side.  Click you mouse pointer on the "Add New Client(s)" option.

- You should now see an online version of the first part of the paper form.  You can start entering the data.

- DATA ENTRY HINTS (how to enter forms without the time-consuming use of the mouse):  

You can use the TAB button to move between questions on the form.

To change the selection on "radio button" questions (such as "Gender"), use the arrow keys.

For the "Birth Month" question, you can Tab to the question, then hit the key corresponding to the first letter of the month.  Example, to bring up September, hit the "s" key.  For months that start with the same letter (January, June, July), hit the "j" key multiple times until your selection appears.

To check a "check box" question (such as "Disabilities") use the space bar.

When you are done entering data, you can either click on the "Submit" button on the bottom of the page, OR hit the "Enter" key on your keyboard.

- QUESTIONS TO SKIP - For the purposes of this point-in-time count, please ignore the "Relationship to Respondent", "Client Identifier" and "Client Info Shared" questions.  Empty or default answers in these questions are OK.

Have More than Three Household Members Reported on Paper Form
If you have more than three individuals on your form, enter the total number of people in the household in question labeled "If you need additional entry blanks, enter the total number of household members here:" on the bottom of the electronic form.

Entering a Form - Household Information
Once you have entered the individual information, and clicked your mouse on the "Click Here to Enter Form" button on the bottom of the form, you will see the "Homeless Survey - Household Questions Report, which collects the "Household Information" portion of the paper form.  This is information that applies to every individual entered on the last form.

QUESTION TO SKIP - For the purposes of this point-in-time count, please ignore the "Share report with other organizations" questions.

Once you have entered this form, click on the "Click Here to Enter new Household Report" button on the bottom of the page.

Errors on the Forms
If you make a data entry error, after you click on the "Submit" button the form will come back with an error message highlighted in red, with the offending question highlighted in red.  If you have missing data the system insists that you enter, see the "Missing/Incorrect Data Entry Guidelines" in the next section.

Editing a Form
If you make a mistake on a form, you can come back to it later and edit it.  To find previously entered forms:
- Click on the "Look-Up a Client In System" option on the menu on the left hand side of the screen.
- Enter the client identifying information on into the first section, and click the "Find best match" button.
- You should now se a list of client and household reports entered for that client.
- Click on the report you want to edit, edit the report, and click on the "Submit" button.

Missing/Incorrect Data Entry Guidelines

Purpose of Guidelines
Inevitably, some of the data collected on the forms will missing or entered incorrectly. These guidelines will provide consistent methods for handling these problems when entering the information into the database.

Individual Information
Missing Initials/Birth Month/Birth Day: The only information necessary to enter the data is the gender and birth year. The remaining unique identifying information can be randomly generated by the computer by clicking on the "Anonymous Entry" button in the database.  Initials do not need to be capitalized. Either upper or lower case is OK.

Missing Birth Year, Individual #1: If the birth year is missing for individual #1, the survey cannot be used.  People collecting forms should work to make sure a birth year is included.  A guess is OK, as long it is within 10 years.

Other checked in Disabilities: If answer was written in, try to adjust answer to fit into one the options.  If the other truly does not fit into one of the categories, click on "Other", and enter the written-in entry into the "Other" space provided in the database in the following form: "Disabilities-[answer]".  If Other is checked with nothing written-in, simply click "Other".

More than one Veteran Status checked: Use first answer checked, reading left to right.

More than one Receiving Veterans Benefits checked: Use "yes" if they indicated they were a veteran in previous questions; otherwise use "No".

Missing Birth Year, Individuals #2-#4: If the birth year is missing, use the birth year of individual #1.

Missing Gender, Individuals #2-#4: If the birth year is checked, but the gender is missing, use the opposite gender of individual #1.

Entering "Number of other individuals in household": Click on the "Anonymous Entry" button, and enter the gender and birth year of Individual #4.

Individual #4 blank, but value entered in "Number of other individuals in household" question: Do nothing.  Not enough information to attempt to correct entry error.

Household Information

More than one Current Living Status checked: Use the first one selected, reading left to right.

Month/year became homeless left blank: Leave blank.

Other checked in Where did you stay last night: If answer was written in, try to adjust answer to fit into one the options.  If the other truly does not fit into one of the categories, click on other, and enter the written-in entry into the "Other" space provided in the database in the following form: "Living status-[answer]".  If Other is checked with nothing written-in, simply click "Other".  If the written-in "Other" answer is some form of permanent, safe housing, they are not homeless, so do not enter any of the form into the database.

Other checked in Causes: If answer was written in, try to adjust answer to fit into one the options.  If the other truly does not fit into one of the categories, click on other, and enter the written-in entry into the "Other" space provided in the database in the following form: "Cause-[answer]".  If Other is checked with nothing written-in, simply click "Other". 

Other checked in Income: If answer was written in, try to adjust answer to fit into one the options.  If the other truly does not fit into one of the categories, click Other, and enter the written-in entry into the "Other" space provided in the database in the following form: "Income-[answer]".  If Other is checked with nothing written-in, simply click "Other".