A "low" reported homelessness rate isn't always a real low. Communities that count well can appear worse than communities that count poorly. This audit scores every CoC on signals of likely undercount: implausibly high sheltered share (without right-to-shelter law), rural designation, year-over-year volatility, and federal funding per homeless person.
| Signal | Points |
|---|---|
| Avg sheltered share > 95% (last 4 years), without right-to-shelter law | 2 |
| Avg sheltered share 90–95%, without right-to-shelter law | 1 |
| HUD-classified rural CoC | 1 |
| Year-over-year volatility > 40% standard deviation in % change | 1 |
| Federal funding under $1,000 per homeless person | 1 |
0 points: Higher confidence. 1–2 points: Possible undercount. 3+ points: Likely undercounting. Right-to-shelter jurisdictions (NYC, all Massachusetts CoCs, DC) are exempted from the sheltered-share flag.