Data built by a comprehensive report on homelessness in British Columbia conducted by multiple agencies will be used by the government as funding and strategies are developed.
The 2018 Report on Homeless Counts in B.C. (prepared by Homelessness Services Association of BC, Urban Matters and the BC Non-Profit Housing Association) summarizes findings from 24 homeless counts across British Columbia, including Port Alberni.
Some key findings of the report include:
- A total of 7,655 individuals were identified as experiencing homelessness, which included 219 children under the age of 19 and accompanied by a parent or guardian. Sixty-three percent of these individuals were sheltered;
- Among those who responded to the survey, 68% identified as male and 30% as female, with two percent self-identifying as neither male or female;
- Seniors (55+) represented 20% of respondents to the survey, and youth (under 25) represented 15%. Fifty-one percent of all respondents reported experiencing homelessness for the first time under the age of 25;
- Indigenous-identified individuals represent 38% of all respondents. According to 2016 Census data, Indigenous people accounted for only six percent of BC’s total population;
- Fifty-eight percent of survey respondents reported two or more health conditions, 56% reported an addiction, 44% reported a medical condition, 40% reported a mental illness, and 33% reported a physical disability; and,
- Survey respondents were likely to be long-term community residents, with 31% of respondents having lived in the community where they were survey for ten or more years, and an additional 19% had lived in these communities their entire lives.
“Many people living on the street are struggling with challenges that are intensified through their experience of being homeless,” says Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction according to a Times-Colonist article. “You can’t live on the street and not be affected both mentally and physically by the constant struggle.”
The article also states that the province is “planning to work with other levels of government and community agencies to provide a range of supports” and that “there will be a focus on early intervention to prevent homelessness in the first place.”
The full report is available online by clicking here or visiting BCHousing.org.
