SOCIO-ECONOMIC RESEARCH
ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS
Province of BC Homeless Counts 2018 and 2020-21
2018 Report on Homeless Counts in B.C. 1
MAIN BARRIERS TO ACCESSING HOUSING
Highlights This infographic includes data from 24 homeless counts conducted in communi�es across B.C. The counts took place in 2017 and the spring of 2018. This data provides an overall snapshot of homelessness in B.C., informs B.C.’s Homelessness Ac�on Plan, and will provide a baseline to measure progress.
51% 53%
Reⁿt too high
Iⁿcome too low No available suitable housiⁿg ,
30%
SOURCES OF INCOME
63% Sheltered 37% Unsheltered
7,655 People were iden�fied as experiencing homelessness
40 % Income assistance
29 % Disability benefit
Description The 2018 Report summarizes findings from 24 homeless counts conducted in communities across British Columbia. The findings also include shelter data from communities that did not conduct a homeless count. The result is an overall snapshot of homelessness in B.C. The data presented provides a baseline to measure progress. In spring of 2018, the Province of British Columbia funded homeless counts in 12 B.C. communities. The Homelessness Services Association of BC, Urban Matters and the BC Non-Profit Housing Association coordinated these counts and com - bined the results with available data from 12 additional counts and shelters to prepare this report. A total of 28 homeless counts were planned for spring 2020. These counts were scheduled to take place in 16 provincially-funded communities and 12 other communities that received funding from the federal government and other sources. Pilots of extended counts over four or five days in two provincially-funded communities were also planned to assess how results from this approach may differ from the 24-hour Point-in-Time methodology. Thirteen counts were completed in March 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the remaining counts were postponed until 2021. In total, the following counts were completed in 2020-21: • 16 Provincially-funded counts (including two extended counts) • 6 Federally-funded counts • 3 Independently-funded counts Impact Homeless Counts inform our understanding of the demographics and service needs of people who experience homelessness.
29 % Self or
18 % Employed
informally employed
GENDER IDENTITY
30 %
2 %
68 %
LENGTH OF TIME HOMELESS
52% 31%
had been homeless for one year or more
Male
Female
Other Geⁿder Ideⁿtity
had been homeless for less than six months
AGE BREAKDOWN
HEALTH CONDITIONS
AGE BREAKDOWN
15 % 20 %
Youth (Under 25 years of age)
56 %
Addic�on
58 % reported two or more health condi�ons
Seniors (55 years of age and over)
44 %
Medical Condi�on
40 %
Mental Illness
29 %
Had been in foster care, a youth group home, or under a youth agreement
33 %
Physical Disability
INDIGENOUS OVERREPRESENTATION
LENGTH OF TIME LIVED IN COMMUNITY
OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS SELF-IDENTIFIED AS INDIGENOUS 38%
21% 28% 50%
lived in community ten years or always
COMPARED TO 6% OF THE GENERAL POPULATION (2016 CENSUS)
lived in community one year to less than ten years
lived in community less than one year
1 Percentages are based on the number of people who responded to survey ques�ons and not the total number of people iden�fied as experiencing homelessness.
2020 community profiles and 2018 report available online at www.bchousing.org
Status:
Partners: Homelessness Services Association of BC, Urban Matters and BC Non-Profit Housing Association Audience: Non-profit housing providers, community agencies, and government policy makers
14
HOUSING RESEARCH & EDUCATION PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS | JULY 2021
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online