Another homelessness Point-in-Time (PiT) count will be taking place across the district in October.
The District of Nipissing Social Services Administrative Board (DNSSAB), along with various community partners, will be coordinating the annual count.
New this year will be a By-Name List (BNL) homelessness registry.
Officials say that’s being done in accordance with the Ontario Government’s initiative to build a comprehensive understanding of homelessness across the province.
Various communities will be involved in the count from West Nipissing through to Mattawa to South Algonquin and all points in between, including the City of North Bay.
Data and information gathered will help to build a provincial and local picture of homelessness.
Over a 24-hour period from October 13th to October 14th, trained volunteers will count and survey individuals who are staying in shelters, transitional housing, couch surfing and sleeping rough (without shelter).
Those surveyed will have the opportunity to opt-in to the By-Name List registry.
Nipissing Counts will provide a “snapshot” of homelessness in the Nipissing District, indicating the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness in communities.
Results from this project will be made publically available and we will use the results of these initiatives to improve the community response to homelessness.
“Point in Time counts have proven to be very informative, providing a synopsis of what the current homelessness situation is in the District, and are one of the tools to gauge and plan for local needs,” says DNSSAB Board Chair, Mark King. “The DNSSAB is excited about the addition of the By Name List registry which will assist in providing the right services to the right people, to help them transition out of homelessness, and over time, track movement in and out of the area.”
This project will mark the DNSSAB’s fourth PiT Count involving homelessness.
Previous counts have taken place in 2016, 2018, and most recently in March of 2020.
293 people were counted as being homeless in the last count in March 2020.
That includes:
• 173 – Administrative Count categories (emergency sheltered + transitionally housed + public systems)
• 87 – Surveyed Categories (hidden homeless + unsheltered + unknown location)
• 33 – Dependent Children (de-duplicated administrative count + survey results)
Further results can be found in a presentation titled “Point in Time (PiT) Count Results” on the DNSSAB website.