Question: Does the homeless census keep track of how many of the people are mentally ill or using drugs? If so, what are the numbers for Oahu? …

Answer: Yes, roughly. The Homeless Point-in-Time Count that is conducted annually gathers various demographic data from the individuals surveyed, but the responses to questions about mental illness and especially about drug abuse are generally considered less valid than questions about age, race and ethnicity, for examples.

Underreporting errors may occur because the person is unable to understand the question (as in some cases of mental illness) or because the person does not want to reveal illegal behavior (as in the case of some drug users, particularly those who fear a parole violation), according to the most recent report, based on data gathered Jan. 24.

Those caveats make the survey results all the more striking: Of the 4,940 homeless individuals counted on Oahu in the 2016 Point-in-Time survey, 1,002 adults said they had a serious mental illness and 873 adults reported a substance abuse disorder. (A person who cited mental illness and substance abuse would be listed in both categories; there is overlap.)

Of the homeless individuals reporting mental illness, 371 were “sheltered,” meaning they were staying in homeless shelters, transitional housing or safe havens, and 631 were “unshel- tered,” meaning they were living in cars or parks, or on beaches or the streets.

Of those reporting substance abuse, 250 were sheltered and 623 were unsheltered, according to the report, which you can read in full at 808ne.ws/2016 PITreport.

Of the total 4,940 people counted, 2,767 were sheltered and 2,173 unsheltered.

Scam alert

Will these IRS impersonators ever stop? It seems not.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is warning of a new scam, this one an email phishing scheme. Tax professionals and taxpayers should be on the alert for fake emails purporting to contain an IRS tax bill related to the Affordable Care Act.

Generally, the scam involves an email that includes a fake CP2000 notice for tax year 2015 as an attachment.

A legitimate CP2000 is a notice commonly mailed to taxpayers through the U.S. Postal Service. It is never sent as part of an email to taxpayers. Besides the electronic delivery, other common indicators of this fraud include:

>> The notices appear to be issued from an address in Austin, Texas.

>> The notice refers to the Affordable Care Act and requests information about 2014 coverage

>> The payment voucher lists the letter number as 105C.

>> The fraudulent CP2000 notice included a payment request that taxpayers mail a check made out to “I.R.S.” to the “Austin Processing Center” at a post office box address. This is in addition to a “payment” link within the email itself.

Anyone who receives this scam email should forward it to phishing@irs.gov and then delete it.

In general, the IRS advises, never open an attachment or click on a link within an email sent by an unknown source.

IRS impersonation scams take numerous forms. At Kokua Line over the past few months, we’ve heard from readers vexed by threatening telephone calls in the middle of the night, and by false letters and emails demanding money. For more information about the various scams of which the IRS is aware, go to irs.gov and click on the header “Phishing & Tax Scams.”

As the website explains, you can generally do a keyword search on irs.gov for any notice you receive purporting to be from the IRS. The site offers explanations and examples of legitimate correspondence commonly sent by the IRS. Search using the title of the form, which in this case is CP2000.

Auwe

We need more clean public restrooms in downtown Honolulu. As a senior citizen who is trying to stay active and run some of my own errands, I shouldn’t be expected to “hold it” until I get home. The alternative is to become a shut-in, which I refuse to do. I am trying to maintain my dignity but it gets harder every day. — Senior Citizen

Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.