For some sample-based studies of the homeless, it may be relevant to adopt
a period perspective, in which analyses focus on the mix of persons who exp
erience homelessness at least once during some period of time, not just the
mix of persons at a point in time. Period perspective presumably can be en
hanced by weights that account for the intermittent nature of homelessness,
but such weighting invites implementation problems related to calculation,
specifying the weighting model, measurement, and especially weight dispari
ty. Some of these problems can be mitigated by a sample design that assures
independence between selection and individual respondent behavior, but rem
aining di, faculties, particularly weight variability, raise questions abou
t how weighting should be used in this context.