A representative sample of homeless persons from all areas of the County were surveyed shortly after the Street Count and S&I Count. The Demographic Survey started February 15th and ended on March 31, 2007. Surveyors interviewed 3,300 homeless persons throughout the County on the streets and in shelters. The Homeless Survey is conducted in order to yield demographic data about Los Angeles County homeless population. The survey was designed to elicit information such as gender, family status, military service, length of homelessness, usual nighttime accommodations, causes of homelessness, and access to services through open-ended, closed-ended, and multiple response questions. The survey data will bring greater perspective to current issues of homelessness and to the provision and delivery of services both current and in the future. Survey findings will also provide a baseline for future homeless studies. Surveys were conducted by trained homeless workers (paid) and volunteers (unpaid).

In order to avoid potential duplication of respondents without compromising the respondents' anonymity, the survey requested respondents' initials and date of birth. Upon completion of the survey effort, an extensive verification process was conducted to eliminate potential duplicates. This process examined respondents' date of birth, initials, gender, ethnicity, length of homelessness, and consistencies in patterns of responses to other questions on the survey.