Survey hopes to uncover extent of hidden homelessness in 'affluent' Alberta towns

Imagine you've bought a pricey home in one of the cozy bedroom communities bordering Calgary. But then, you lose your job, and your mental health starts to decline.

The community is tight-knit, so you feel you can't tell your neighbours you're in trouble.

There's not much in the way of rentals or starter housing. And, unlike the big city, there are relatively few services — not even a homeless shelter — for you to access.

According to Dee Ann Benard, the executive director of the Alberta Rural Development Network (ARDN), that's the situation many living in these small communities find themselves in — and the organization is part of a survey hoping to uncover the extent of the problem.

"Often bedroom communities are quite affluent but they also don't have a lot of services. So rents and homeownership is very costly but there aren't the services you'll see in the inner city," Benard said.

"This is their home community and suddenly they can't afford to live there, they can't access services, they're embarrassed."

The ARDN is undertaking the survey in 21 communities across the province, including towns, rural municipalities and a First Nation.

For one month in each region, people who access social services will be asked to fill out a survey about issues they might face when it comes to housing.

Okotoks community wellness manager Debbie Posey said many rural areas don't have shelters and face affordable housing shortages.

"We don't often see people in our small rural communities that are sleeping under a bridge or a sidewalk. We might see people staying in a campground, we might see people couch surfing or staying with friends and wearing out their welcome," she said.

"So it's hard sometimes to gauge the depth and breadth of the problem."

Posey said Okotoks has seen an increase in housing issues in the last three or four years.

'Terrible living conditions'

Some of the biggest issues, she said, are people staying in homes they can't afford to maintain or are squatting in because they have no other options.

"It's terrible living conditions, they probably aren't safe living where they are but it's hard to get them to move," Posey said.

"I think what people don't always realize is if someone has spent their whole life in a small town, it's terrifying to go to a large urban centre and try and access help. It's very important to provide services where people live."

When the count is complete, it will be one of the largest projects to collect rural homelessness data in the world.

The counts are set to be complete by the first week of December, with the report coming early next year.