The City of Lethbridge says its encampment strategy has yielded positive results since it was launched two years ago.
The initiative started in the spring of 2023, to address concerns of growing homeless encampments around the community. Since then, officials say the pace of homelessness growth in Lethbridge has slowed “significantly”.
The 2024 Point-in-Time Count found that homelessness in the city has grown just seven per cent each year since 2022. Although that’s a jump, officials say it marks a big slowdown from the 19.5 per cent annual rise seen between 2018 and 2022.
The City says that slowdown is thanks to “focused investments” and productive partnerships, including the provincial government’s support for the Lethbridge Shelter and the Blood Tribe Department of Health taking on operations of the shelter.
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Over 2,200 encampment-related sites have been triaged since 2023, and officials say over 85,000 kilograms of debris has been removed from those sites.
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A proactive response, according to the City, helps prevent entrenched encampments and maintains an environment that is safe for everyone in the community.
Plus, officials note this reduces demand for local emergency services.
Although encampment reports in Lethbridge more than doubled from 2023 to last year, service calls to police were down by 16 per cent. Calls to Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services declined by 11 per cent. Officials add that incidents of outdoor fires, a key safety concern connected to encampments, dropped by over 27 per cent.
OUTREACH
The City says a decision to bring outreach services in-house has played a major role in improving support for the vulnerable population.
Since this transition, there has been a 263 per cent increase in outreach intakes and a 318 per cent rise in referrals. Between August 2024 and April of this year, officials say 19 people exited homelessness, compared to none the previous year.
Indigenous people comprised 68 per cent of individuals who discussed their racial identity in the Point-in-Time Count. The City says this shines a light on the importance of “culturally-grounded supports”.
PUBLIC PERCEPTION
Statistics show a more positive view of the homeless population.
In 2022, 70.7 per cent of residents said they held negative views toward encampments.
By 2023, that had dropped to 19.6 per cent, while positive sentiments went up from 2.6 per cent to 47.3 per cent.
The City says positive sentiments dropped to 28.6 per cent last year, but there was a significant jump in neutral responses, up to 65.9 per cent.
Andrew Malcolm, the general manager of Community Social Development, says the encampment strategy was “never about quick fixes”.
“It’s about meeting people where they are, building trust and addressing challenges in a thoughtful, coordinated way. These results show that with persistence, collaboration and compassion, we’re changing the trajectory.”
