Employment and Social Development Canada has released a report that provides a look at the key findings of the 2016 Coordinated Point-in-Time (PiT) Count. These findings include the basic demographics of participants surveyed, as well as their reported experiences of homelessness, their income sources and their reasons for losing their housing.
Background
Some communities in Canada have been conducting their own homeless counts for more than a decade. However, they have been doing so at different times of year and using different approaches. The 2016 Coordinated PiT Count marked the first time that communities across provinces and territories in Canada have used a common approach when doing a homeless count. In June 2016, the Government of Canada announced that a second count would take place during March and April 2018. Information from this second count, when compared with 2016 count findings, will help communities understand changes in local homeless populations over time.
The results highlighted in this report are based on the surveys conducted across the 32 participating communities. These surveys were done in large and small urban communities, as well as in relatively rural and remote communities. As more communities participate in future coordinated counts, findings from the Coordinated PiT Count can help to develop a truly national understanding of homelessness in Canada.
What is a Point-in-Time count?
The PiT count is a one-day snapshot of homelessness in shelters and on the streets within a community. A PiT count estimates how many people are experiencing homelessness in emergency shelters, in transitional housing and in unsheltered locations on the day of the count. It can also include people who are in health or corrections facilities like hospitals, detox centres, detention centres or jails; these people often have no place to go when they are released from these facilities.
How many people were identified as experiencing homelessness during the PiT Count?
Across the 32 participating communities, a total of 5,954 people were identified as experiencing homelessness in the core populations (i.e. in emergency shelters, in transitional facilities and on the streets). Between communities, counts varied from 12 to 1,201 people. In total, 1,417 people (24%) were enumerated in unsheltered locations, 2,832 people (47%) were enumerated in shelters and 1,705 people (29%) were enumerated in transitional facilities.