Loading ...A couple of weeks ago the preliminary results for the March 16th Homelessness count in the Lower Mainland were released. What was found was that there were 37 fewer homeless individuals found in 2011 than in 2008 (2,623 versus 2660). On first blush you would think that there is “no change”,however that is far too simplistic.
The ratio of those “unsheltered”reduced by 54%,down to 731 from 1,574 which reflects a significant investment by the province in shelters.
Youth Homelessness has increased significantly since 2008 up 79 (from 270) –though some of this could come from better data collection. As well,the proportion of Youth “unsheltered”is very high at 189 or 54% of the homeless youth total.
If it hadn’t been for a few significant programs introduced since 2008,these figures would have been much higher. The Burnaby Centre and Coast’s Affiliated Concurrent Disorder Transitional Housing program &St. Helen’s Hotel opened in 2009 &2010 and house nearly 200 people who would have been chronically homeless. The At Home/Chez Soi program opened in 2009 with funding from the Mental Health Commission of Canada and provides homes for nearly 300 chronically homeless individuals –just between those two programs,you have 500 individuals who represent 20% of the current homeless totals. It’s clear we’d be far worse off if they weren’t opened.
Finally,the best is yet to come,the March 16th count did not reflect the new supported housing capacity that is coming on stream this year and over the next 3. Coast’s own Pacific Coast Apartments (96),Timber Grove (52) and Dunbar (51),open this year and will relieve some of this pressure. As will the other of the 14 City sites and projects around the lower mainland which provides roughly 1500 units of permanent supported housing.
