Homeless count assesses needs in Regina, Saskatoon, P.A.
Volunteers are spending Wednesday trying to figure out how many people in Saskatchewan bounce from one couch to another, sleep outside, or call a shelter bed home.
The Point-In-Time Homelessness Count will help federal officials decide how much money to allocate to shelters and housing agencies in this province. The count will update previous numbers gathered in 2015 and 2016.
Volunteers will attempt to take a 24-hour snapshot of homelessness in Prince Albert, Regina and Saskatoon.
"It's really important," said Chris Randall, from the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership. "It helps us make decisions around both policy as well as funding."
Looking for vulnerable children and teens in Saskatoon
Throughout the day, volunteers in Saskatoon will walk through the downtown, core neighbourhoods, university and along the riverbank, talking to anyone they meet about issues around homelessness in the city.
A 2015 count found 450 people in Saskatoon were homeless, 100 of which were children or teenagers.
"Youth homelessness is considerably different from adult homelessness," said Colleen Christopherson-Cote, who is organizing the count in Saskatoon.
She said young people are sometimes reluctant to talk with volunteers.
"There's a pride and sort of a lack of trust that comes with youth trying to share that story, because they're also worried about becoming part of the system they had conflict with in the past," she said.
The White Buffalo Youth Lodge on 20th Street West joined the effort with a plan to open its doors between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Wednesday, offering pizza and three-on-three basketball to help encourage homeless teens to connect with people doing the count.
Homelessness trends shifting in Prince Albert
Prince Albert police, outreach workers and volunteers were counting homeless people along with those staying at shelters, in police cells and at detox centres.
"We're seeing a change in the factors affecting homelessness," said Chad Nelson, a coordinator of the count.
He said in 2016 there were 28 people with no shelter in Prince Albert and 190 more bouncing between couches and shelter beds.
Nelson said homeless people in Prince Albert used to primarily be alcoholics in their 30s and 40s. Now, he said it's teens and people in their 20s who are using fentanyl, crack, or crystal methamphetamine.
Identifying hidden homelessness in Regina
In Regina, more than 200 volunteers signed up to take part in Wednesday evening's count.
"We send them into an area with a walking route and they ask anyone they see if they'd like to participate in a housing needs survey," said Addison Docherty, the count's organizer in Regina.
He said the last survey in 2015 found 232 homeless people in Regina, but anyone sleeping at a friend or relative's place was not included.
This time, they'll be counted, Docherty said.
"We have a number of people who are couch-surfing," said Docherty. "You'll seldom see people sleeping on the sidewalk the way you might in warmer climates."
