MOOSE JAW — Square One Community Inc. launched this year’s Point in Time (PIT) homelessness count across eight separate locations to gather vital data about homelessness and vulnerable members of the community on Oct. 1.
This is also the first time Square One is joining the official Reaching Home federal initiative.
“The Point in Time count is a count of people experiencing homelessness at any one given time,” explained Max Eckstein, co-ordinator of Square One. “Last year we did operate an independent PIT count in the city, but this year we brought ourselves in alignment with the… federal initiative.”
He further explained that both the count and the date it takes place on is mandated by the federal government and takes place across many Saskatchewan municipalities.
“It’s a snapshot in time of how many people are both living rough on the street and living in insecure locations where they’re not on a lease or they don’t have rights to stay,” he said.
The PIT count is intended for residents who have no place to live, have recently lost their housing, are staying in a tent, car, camper, or on the streets, or who cannot afford to pay rent. Data from a 15-minute survey is used for organizations such as Square One to better allocate resources as they strive to provide solutions and advocate for targeted supports.
“We’re looking for patterns here so that we can apply services that are going to mitigate the issues that are causing the houselessness,” Eckstein said.
Utilizing informal past data from Square One, Riverside Mission, and other local support agencies, Eckstein said Moose Jaw is experiencing a rise in homelessness in what he calls “an alarming trend.”
“We’re fairly confident this year that the data that’s going to come in is probably going to justify those suspicions,” he opined.
This year’s model was adjusted based on past information. In 2023, numerous volunteers gathered data by forming patrol teams in the downtown core but this year’s count involved fixed locations and partners from the human service industry.
Survey participants were also provided a warm meal and resources that included gift cards, hygiene kits, sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, contact with support workers, and even help with tax filing. Existing community service providers were incorporated to lower the reluctance of many vulnerable individuals to participate in the survey.
Organizations like Square One rely on data from the count to apply for and receive government funding used for needed supports.
“Any organization looking for funding needs to provide the data and Square One is data driven,” Eckstein explained.
Once compiled, this data will be community owned and accessible by each separate organization through the federally run Reaching Home funding stream.
It has been confirmed that the preliminary numbers from this year's count include 74 individuals who indicated that they've experienced homelessness and 44 additional individuals who were "observed homeless." By comparison, last year's count involved a total of 26 individuals with an additional 32 listed as "observed homelessness."
Data from the PIT count has now been forwarded to the Metis Nation who is responsible for covering all rural and remote communities in Saskatchewan with results anticipated before the end of the year.
“What’s also great about today is the community response to volunteer to make this event happen,” Eckstein said. “We have over 50 volunteers this year from all walks of life… and being on a weekday has made it very challenging this year… but we’ve seen a response from the community that has come together and made this happen in a very successful way.
“I definitely want to thank everybody that put in the time to make this happen, and this data is going to be very impactful for the services that people need,” Eckstein concluded.
For more information on the PIT count, visit SquareOneHousingMooseJaw.com/Pit-Count-2024. To learn more about the federal Reaching Home program, visit Canada.ca.
