The number of Campbell Riverites who are experiencing homelessness is almost 70 per cent higher than it was in 2021, according to new information from the province.
Earlier this year, the province held a Point in Time (PiT) count, which provides a snapshot of homelessness in the community. This year, 197 people were counted as experiencing homelessness, which was up from 116 in 2021. That is a 69.8 per cent increase.
A Point in Time count is a useful metric to community organizations, but it only provides a snapshot of one day in the community. This data was collected on the evening of April 25 and during the day on April 26. The counts are also generally under-representations of the true number of people experiencing homelessness, due to factors like hidden homelessness, people not being in touch with services on the given day, and the fact that the surveys are voluntary.
“While PiT Counts are an accepted methodological tool, the numbers are understood to be the minimum number of people who are experiencing homelessness on a given day in that community,” the report says.
The Campbell River and District Coalition to End Homelessness called the results “unsurprising,” in a press release on Friday (Oct. 6).
“BC Housing and the Homelessness Services Association of BC support PiT Counts in a number of communities across the province. Every community showed an increase,” said coalition executive director Stefanie Hendrickson.
For example, the Comox Valley showed a 106 per cent increase, Vernon 25 per cent, and Port Alberni 30 per cent.
Notably, 50 per cent of respondents identified as Indigenous, which is a decrease from 2021, when 62 per cent of respondents identified as Indigenous. However, 77 per cent of those respondents also reported having lived or having generational experience with residential school. Other top racial identity responses were Arab, South Asian, Black and Latin American, with one per cent reported for each.
When asked for the reasons for their housing loss, one third (33 per cent) of people said that the main reason was not enough income. A quarter had a substance use issue, 17 per cent had a conflict with a landlord and 17 per cent had a conflict with a spouse or partner.
“Interestingly, ‘not enough income’ did not show up in the top three reasons for housing loss in 2021, showing that people are struggling significantly more in 2023,” said the Coalition release.
“We already knew that the cost and shortage of housing along with rising household costs is substantially affecting people in our community, but it’s always good to be able to back that up with data,” says Hendrickson.
Compared to 2021, more people reported having medical conditions, physical disabilities, and acquired brain injuries. However, 69 per cent reported having more than one health concern.
According to this year’s count, the majority of people (89 per cent) have been in the community for more than one year. Sixty five per cent of respondents have lived in Campbell River for five years or more, and 22 per cent have always lived here.
Just under one quarter of people who are experiencing homelessness are new. At the time of the count, 24 per cent of people reported only experiencing homelessness for under six months. However, 68 per cent of people have been unhoused for a year or more. Also, 16 per cent reported having a full or part time job, and 98 per cent reported having income of some kind, including income assistance and disability benefits.
Demographically, the count breaks down like this:
- Men: 58 per cent
- Women: 40 per cent
- Another Gender Identity: 2 per cent
- 2SLGBTQIA+: 12 per cent
- Trans experience: 2 per cent
- Youth: 18 per cent
- Adult: 59 per cent
- Senior: 22 per cent
“It’s the Coalition’s third year organizing the PiT Count and we’re getting better at it,” Hendrickson said. “We had so much support from local agencies who hosted surveys and provided outreach teams to help collect this data. We also had a number of peers (people with lived experience of homelessness) helping us this year. I can’t thank each and every person who supported this enough, there are too many to list.”
Other counts, and information on the methodology is available on the BC Housing website.
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