New P.E.I. homelessness count reveals significantly lower numbers

The first ever federally-led Point in Time Count on P.E.I. has revealed very different numbers of homelessness in Charlottetown and Summerside than a case load review in 2015. 

The most recent count, organized by the Government of Canada's Homelessness Partnering Strategy, identified 81 homeless in the two centres in late March and early April this year.

Compare that to client reviews and surveys done by service providers in the two centres in mid-January 2015, which identified 209 people who were either homeless or at risk of homelessness in the next couple of months. 

Numbers cut by more than half

The P.E.I. Community Advisory Board on Homelessness, or CAB, which helped with both initiatives, believes the very different results can be explained by how the numbers wre gathered.

This year's PiT survey involved a street count between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., a count of people in shelters between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., and information collected at a three-hour event where participants were offered a meal and welcomed to do a survey.

By focusing on a single day, a count will not include some people who cycle in and out of homelessness.- P.E.I. Community Advisory Board on Homelessness

"A point-in-time survey is not a measure of everyone who experiences homelessness in a community over time. By focusing on a single day, a count will not include some people who cycle in and out of homelessness," wrote CAB in an executive summary released with the PiT report.

The 2015 case review involved 103 service providers in the two major cities identifying clients who had been homeless in the past year, were in a living situation where housing would end within the next one or two months, were couch surfing, or were about to be released from a mental institution or correctional facility and had no housing lined up. 

'More representative of imminent need'

No one from CAB was available for an interview to clarify the different findings, but the organization did offer some explanation of the different numbers in information sent out with the PiT Count report Monday. 

"It is important to note that the 2015 survey had a broader definition for survey inclusion, thus the 2016 is a more representative number of those in imminent need."

CAB, however, cautions that the PiT Count is also not designed to measure the extent of hidden homeless, a type of homelessness the organization has said is common on P.E.I. Hidden homeless stay with family and friends or at a hotel or motel temporarily.

The PiT Count found 13 per cent were housed with family or friends versus 22 per cent in the 2015 findings. But in the PiT Count, 11 per cent were staying temporarily at a hotel or motel, compared to only two per cent in the 2015 provincial review. 

Street homeless not common on P.E.I. 

The PiT Count also found no unsheltered homeless in Summerside or Charlottetown on the dates and times the counts were done.

"This is not an unexpected result given the time of year and the nature of homelessness on P.E.I.," wrote CAB. 

Though the count is behind us, our job is not finished; it's time to take action on what we've learned.- Wendi Poirier,  P.E.I. Homelessness Partnering Strategy coordinator

The PiT Count found 50 per cent were in transitional housing, a number higher than in the 2015 review. CAB attributed that to the challenge finding affordable housing on P.E.I. 

The split between men, at 66 per cent, and women, at 34 per cent, was fairly similar in the 2015 and 2016 findings.

The PiT Count found 14 per cent of the homeless were Aboriginal, 11 per cent seniors, nine per cent immigrants or refugees, three per cent youth and two per cent veterans.

Leading reasons very similar 

The reasons Islanders said led to their homelessness were similar in the two reports, with the majority attributing it to addictions and substance abuse, and about a third of people being on welfare or social assistance.

But the PiT Count showed a higher number of people employed who are homeless, at 16 per cent compared to only 10 per cent in the provincial case review. 

The federal government has just committed to a second coordinated PiT Count for 2018. Employment and Social Development Canada writes the information can be used to direct resources to areas of greatest need and connect individuals to targeted supports to help them achieve stable housing. 

"Though the count is behind us, our job is not finished; it's time to take action on what we've learned and incorporate our findings as part of our continued effort to prevent and reduce homelessness," wrote Wendi Poirier,  P.E.I. Homelessness Partnering Strategy coordinator. 

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