Snapshot of homelessness aim of regional survey

WATERLOO REGION — A group of more than 90 volunteers headed out across Waterloo Region’s cities on Monday night to get a snapshot of local homelessness.

Along with getting a head count, they asked questions of people who are staying in shelters, transitional housing or sleeping outdoors in Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo.

“The number alone isn’t helpful. We want to know a little bit more,” said Deb Schlichter, the region’s director of housing.

The survey questions delved into housing needs, as well as personal experiences of homelessness. The information gathered will help direct regional decisions in order to ensure they’re meeting needs in the community.

“We’ll also know a lot more about the who and the why they’re there,” Schlichter said.

A count will be done in the rural areas over three weeks this month. Homelessness can be more hidden in rural areas, said Schlichter.

“People aren’t congregated,” she said.

The province required municipalities to conduct homelessness counts every two years starting this spring.

The last snapshot was done locally in December 2014, and at that time 295 people not including families were experiencing homelessness. About half of those had the highest level of need, and nearly two-thirds were experiencing chronic homelessness.

Schlichter said the process of doing the count and survey is as important as the result. While some people out on Monday night work in programs that serve the homeless, “others are just volunteers in the community to want to learn more,” she said.

The region received funding from Employment and Social Development Canada to join other municipalities in the count with the aim of capturing a picture of homelessness across Canada.

“We need a sense of what is the size of the problem across Canada,” Schlichter said.

The information gathered in this region will be released publicly on May 4.