Saskatoon to participate in national homeless count

The City of Saskatoon will be participating in a national Point-in-Time (PiT) homeless count this fall.

The count will take place from Oct. 1 to Nov. 30 in a coordinated effort to help identify what homelessness looks like in 58 communities across Canada.

Trained volunteers will be surveying people staying in shelters, transitional housing, public systems like detox centres, people sleeping rough (in unsheltered spaces) and the hidden homeless (people living temporarily with others or accessing temporary accommodation).

The count will help improve the City of Saskatoon’s knowledge of homelessness in the city by providing key data about the number, gender, age and ethnicity of the homeless. It also indicates the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness.

“The dynamics of homelessness have been rapidly changing in our community, with more and more people surviving in desperate conditions on our streets each month,” Saskatoon mayor Charlie Clark said in a news release.

“The PiT count is a very important exercise in understanding the human stories behind the headlines, and to understand the factors that are driving this crisis.”

“The federal government recognizes the importance of reducing and preventing homelessness across the country. To address these issues, we must first understand their scope, which is why the PiT count is so vital,” Dan Vandal, federal minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada said in the release.

— with files from Payton Zillich

Read more

• Saskatoon council to fund public bathrooms in Riversdale and Pleasant Hill
• Pleasant Hill dental clinic struggling amid calls for more resources to help homeless