Recent count in city shows 86 ‘hidden homeless’ people
They are individuals who ‘couch surf’ but don’t have places to call their own
Of the 286 homeless people counted by a recent Regina homelessness count, 86 were considered “hidden homeless.”
The Point-in-Time Count of Homelessness was conducted on April 18 by Regina’s YMCA, with the help of several community partners.
“Now we have a number and we know there’s a problem,” said Addison Docherty, director of the Point-in-Time Count of Regina Homelessness. “Hidden homelessness is a huge issue in Regina.”
Hidden homelessness is when an individual temporarily stays with friends or family without a permanent residence to return to. This is sometimes known as couch surfing.
Stephanie Taylor, executive director of Regina Transition House, agrees with Docherty. She said a specific hidden group of homeless people is women fleeing violent relationships.
“Most people don’t really consider that women who are staying in women’s shelters are technically homeless,” she said. “Once they leave a violent relationship they often can’t return home and they need to find new housing and they don’t have anywhere to go.
“Give people ways to be more creative about accessing populations of homeless people in the city that aren’t necessarily as obvious.”
Despite the high number of hidden homeless counted, Docherty says the overall number of people struggling with homelessness in Regina has remained relatively stable over the past few years.
Taylor, however, says Regina Transition House has seen an increase in women coming through their doors, from 300 last year to around 350 this year, indicating “an increase in homelessness among women and children.” She attributed this to a rise in domestic violence against women.
Docherty said the total number of homeless people in Regina is probably higher than what the count shows, but that the Pointin-Time count is helpful in giving a rough estimate. He said it’s also helpful in shifting the conversation surrounding homelessness and helping people relate to the issue.
“There’s more of a face to the number,” he said. “I think people resonate with the idea that it’s hard to live, you know, it’s hard to pay your bills.
” something that a lot of people can relate to even if they’re not homeless.”
Homelessness is a nuanced issue, and Docherty says there are many pieces required to improve the problem in Regina.
“I think it takes investment, educational pieces, and also just a little bit of a paradigm shift,” he said. “What kind of choices do we want to make as a culture in terms of how we treat humans? Do we want people to be sleeping outside?
“It takes a whole community to come together and come up with solutions.”