Volunteers needed for homeless count
Region performing vital survey to develop snapshot of people living without permanent shelter
Organizers are calling for volunteers to help count the homeless in Niagara.
The Niagara Counts initiative sees trained volunteers count and survey people staying in shelters, short-term housing and sleeping rough (without shelter) over a fixed 24-hour period.
The information provides a “snapshot” of homelessness in the region and is essential in providing an understanding of the needs and circumstances of people who are affected by homelessness in Niagara.
Volunteers collect information on gender, age and ethnicity, as well as reasons someone finds himself or herself homeless.
Adrienne Jugley, Niagara’s commissioner of community services, said initiative is about more than numbers. A voluntary survey helps develop a more detailed picture of the homeless and their circumstances, which varies across the region. A homeless person in a rural area faces different challenges than someone on the street in St. Catharines or Niagara Falls.
Results from the count will be made publicly available and used to improve Niagara’s response to homelessness.
All volunteers must complete a 2½-hour training session, and sign a waiver to participate.
In 2016, more than 140 volun-
teers conducted the street count in shelters and along 28 designated routes. That count identified 465 individuals experiencing homeless here.
Since the initial point-in-time count in 2016, Niagara Region Homelessness Services has increased its investment in a program known as Housing First. The supported housing model is designed for chronically homeless individuals with 168 units available across the region.
It has also secured provincial funding for a new supportive permanent housing program called Home for Good, which is also designed to house chronically homeless people and provide them with mental health services, addictions support, and occupational therapy
Volunteers can register at www.niagararegion.ca/ niagaracounts.