With a total of five survey stations, this year’s point in time homelessness survey reached out broadly throughout the qathet region to update and expand on a study of homelessness first performed in 2023.
Conducted in conjunction with the Homelessness Services Association of British Columbia (HSABC) on March 7, surveys were performed in Lund, on Texada Island, in the southern region of qathet Regional District and in City of Powell River, at Powell River Public Library and the Community Resource Centre.
Lift Community Services was a participant in the study and executive director Kim Markel said it was important to get into some alternate locations from the 2023 study to increase the visibility of homelessness in the region.
Markel said creating awareness for the study was done in several ways.
“Lift is quite connected with people experiencing homelessness who live within the town centre,” said Markel. “So, a lot of it was by word of mouth, connecting with individuals who are accessing our services, who have lived experience of homelessness. We asked them to spread the word and support more community members to access the survey.
“In terms of the satellite locations, we primarily relied on posters the week before, as well as utilization of social media.”
Markel said homelessness is not contained to the centre of Powell River. She said that in this community, there is not the congregation of homelessness that some urban sites have.
“We have people living in RVs, in cars parked on logging roads or side streets, as well as people living in properties where they are not renters,” said Markel. “In the point in time survey, homelessness is defined as not having a place of one’s own where a person pays rent and expects to stay for at least 30 days.”
Markel said the provincial count is administered by HSABC and the organization is funded through BC Housing to support the provincial count. She said the count this year is happening in 31 communities throughout BC, with HSABC funding 20, the federal government funding 10, and one community is independently funding its own study.
“HSABC takes all the data, all the surveys we complete in the community, and they aggregate and analyze the results and create reports,” said Markel. “They create a provincial report, which provides a snapshot picture of homelessness, and then we also receive an individual report that is specific for the qathet region.
“Optimistically, we will have the report late this summer, but more realistically, I think it will be in the fall. That’s what we experienced last time.”
Markel said the questionnaire is extensive and there are key questions the participant needs to answer that would indicate if they are experiencing homelessness. Then, there is a comprehensive list of questions that gathers demographic information, as well as information pertaining to people’s current experience of homelessness.
“All that data gets analyzed by HSABC,” said Markel.
In the 2023 point in time study, 126 people were identified as homeless in qathet. Markel said in this year’s study, there were some returning participants who remarked that they had completed the survey two years ago and nothing had changed for them.
Markel said the survey, which takes place over a 24-hour period, has two main counts that happen. One is a shelter count, and the other is a street count. She said the shelter count involves people in emergency shelters, transition houses, safe houses and detox facilities, while the street count focuses on individuals who are living outside of permanent housing.
Markel said it is important to reflect on the point in time count and its limitations.
“It’s a 24-hour count that requires people to consent to engagement; it requires us to be able to find them or them to be able to find us,” said Markel. “The point in time count is universally understood as an under-representation of the homelessness experience in any community.”
Markel said, however, that the data from the count is a useful tool in terms of public awareness and identifying needs. She said when the report is sent back to the community, it comes to Lift as an analyzed document.
“HSABC will deliver a report that not only identifies the numbers of people experiencing homelessness in the community, but also the unique attributes of the people who are experiencing homelessness,” said Markel. “We get information such as gender, length of time in the community, and the reasons for homelessness. So, what we receive is in-depth.”
Markel said it is important to note that it is not just Lift alone that is addressing homelessness. She said her organization has strong partnerships with City of Powell River staff and council, qathet Regional District, Vancouver Coastal Health and nonprofits in the community.
“I’m looking forward to more opportunities to collaborate with these organizations and with the community to address this huge issue that we are all experiencing,” said Markel. “People often say, ‘homelessness is a community issue,’ and I couldn’t agree more. Any resolution for the issue needs community action.”
Join the Peak's email list for the top headlines right in your inbox Monday to Friday.
