Lethbridge will get an idea of how many people are experiencing homelessness in the city. The city will be one of about 65 communities to take part in a nationally coordinated point-in-time homeless count on Sept. 27.
The standards are set federally, but the Alberta 7 Cities on Housing and Homelessness is coordinating specific aspects, such as date and time, to allow for comparability between cities.
“Over the course of six hours, trained staff and volunteers will enumerate and survey individuals who are staying in shelters, short-term housing and sleeping rough,” reads a news release from the city. “Our PiT Count will provide a ‘snapshot’ of homelessness in Lethbridge and indicate the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness in our community.”
In 2018, the count found 223 people experiencing homelessness. The city said the updated count will help improve its understanding of the needs, circumstances, and characteristics of the people who are affected by homelessness in the community.
It will provide data on gender, age, ethnicity, history of homelessness and health challenges experienced by those who are homeless.
“Results from the PiT Count will be used to improve our community’s response by identifying service needs and informing plans to prevent and reduce homelessness. In the future, successive counts will allow us to measure progress towards our ultimate goal: ending homelessness in Lethbridge.”
The city will create a report out of the data and it will be made public later this fall.
