Saskatoon participates in fourth national Point-in-Time Homeless Count
In the fall of 2024, Saskatoon will take part in a coordinated effort to measure homelessness across Canada.
The City of Saskatoon, in partnership with the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP), the Reaching Home Community Entity in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and the Community-University Institute for Social Research (CUISR) from the University of Saskatchewan, community organizations and volunteers will participate in the fourth nationally coordinated Point-in-Time (PiT) Homeless Count in Canada.
From October 1st to November 30th, 2024, individuals experiencing homelessness will be counted in 58 communities across the country. The coordinated effort will help to create a picture of homelessness in communities across Canada.
A Point-in-Time Count, or PiT Count as it is commonly described, is a measure of the number of people experiencing homelessness in a community, counted on a specific day and during a specified period of time. It is meant to be a “snapshot,” painting a picture of what homelessness looks like in that particular time and place. It will indicate the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness in our community.
During a specified period of time over the course of one day, trained volunteers will enumerate and survey individuals staying in shelters, short-term or transitional housing, public systems (detox), those sleeping rough (in unsheltered spaces) and survey hidden homelessness (living temporarily with others or accessing temporary accommodations).
Our PiT Count will improve our understanding of the needs and circumstances of the people affected by homelessness in our community. The survey will provide key data on gender, age, ethnicity and more, to help continue the conversation about homelessness in our community.
The PiT Count will inform crucial interventions and highlight the need for increased investment and coordination between all orders of government, including non-profit and private sectors.
Results from the 2024 PiT Count will be made publicly available and will be used to improve our response to homelessness. In the future, successive counts will assist in measuring progress towards our ultimate goal: ending homelessness in Saskatoon.
The Saskatoon PiT Count is receiving support from the Government of Canada through Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy.
For more information, visit:
- Everyone Counts – The Nationally Coordinated Point-in-Time Counts of Homelessness in Canada
- Homelessness Learning Hub: Point-in-Time Counts
- CUISR 2022 Saskatoon Point-in-Time Homelessness Count
Further details will be made available in the near future.
Quotes
“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. We’re working with partners to enhance resources and help address the issues facing people experiencing homelessness.” – The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for PrairiesCan and CanNor, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation’ (Henry David Thoreau). The number of people on the street is growing and they all have their stories of how and why they are homeless, and every story is legitimate. Homelessness is fast becoming a societal crisis, that has enormous cost in services and human suffering. We need to find creative solutions, looking up from their vantage point to provide in many cases, families, friends, and neighbors opportunities to change their circumstance and we need to embed prevention into the work that we do.” – J Robert LaFontaine, Executive Director Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership
"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. 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. I'm very grateful to all of the organizers, partners, and volunteers for making sure Saskatoon is part of this national count once again this year." – Charlie Clark, Mayor of Saskatoon