Point-in-time count finds chronic homelessness rising in Heritage city

Photo: Contributed

Chronic homelessness is on the rise in Nelson, according to the latest point-in-time count led by the Nelson Committee on Homelessness.

The survey — conducted on Nov. 7 — found that 56 per cent of those who are now homeless in the city and have been without stable, long-term housing for a year or longer, is 32 per cent higher than it was in 2018.

Although both figures are less than the current provincial average of 70 per cent — up from 53 per cent in 2018 — it is a concerning trend and one that doesn’t have any immediate solutions, noted NCOH co-chair Cheryl Dowden in a news release.

“On average, someone currently experiencing homelessness in Nelson has been without proper housing for 25 months, or just over two years,” she wrote. “The vacancy rate in Nelson has been zero per cent for over 10 years.”

In total, 122 Nelson residents were found to be in some form of homelessness during the 24-hour enumeration and three-week survey period, with 102 people completing the survey.

A total of 40 Nelson residents were found to be unsheltered or absolute homeless, a designation which which includes anyone sleeping in a tent, a makeshift shelter, an empty building, an unheated trailer, park, or sidewalk or any other unsheltered outdoor location.

An additional four people were found to be staying in vehicles, while 59 people were provisionally housed at two shelters and four transitional housing sites. A further 19 people, mainly youth, were found to be “couch-surfing” or staying at someone else’s place because they had no safe home of their own to go to.

“Notably, PiT counts typically undercount historically marginalized or underrepresented communities including, youth, seniors, Indigenous people, those who have been historically marginalized due to race, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and persons with disabilities,” said Dowden. “While there was a deliberate and intentional strategy to engage with these communities, it is important to consider the PiT is an undercount, because of the ongoing impacts of colonialism, racism, and gender-based violence.”

The point-in-time count is part of a nationally-coordinated effort to measure homelessness in Canada, a requirement of communities who are receiving funding from the government of Canada.

In Nelson, the count was led by NCOH, in partnership with Nelson CARES, Nelson Community Services, School District 8, the Rural Empowered Drug User Network (REDUN), Freedom Quest and the Kootenay Boundary Adult Supported Recovery Program and consisted of a 24-hour enumeration, along with a 28-question survey of community members found to be experiencing some form of homelessness.

On the street

Surveys were conducted at six sheltered sites — Stepping Stones, Cicada Place, North Shore Inn, Ward Street Place-TAP, Aimee Beaulieu Transition House and the Kootenay Boundary Adult Supported Recovery Program — as well as at various community locations, including ANKORS, the Nelson Public Library, the Nelson Community Food Centre, Our Daily Bread, and the NCOH/Salvation Army’s weekly drop-in centre, as well as on the streets, in alleyways, and at various other public locations throughout Nelson.