The Community Action on Homelessness released its first report this week. (Read the full report here) The group found that last year 1,252 people stayed in a shelter at least once; that figure breaks down as 753 men, 340 women, 82 youth aged 16 to 19 and 77 children. The average length of stay in a shelter was 26 days.
The group stresses that those numbers arent complete; they counted just 154 of a total of 194 shelter beds, and they didnt attempt to measure those living in vehicles or couch surfing. Nor does it count people sleeping outside, which is more than you might think—-I recently met a guy sleeping on the Dartmouth waterfront, right through the winter, deep snowfalls and all.
Depending on how you count our population, a half to one percent of us are homeless.
A couple of points:
First, it’s remarkable that this is the first time anyone has gotten around to counting the homeless. We’ve got detailed indicators going back decades for GDP, employment, tax revenue, investment, etc., but we haven’t until now tried to track the state of the economy as it fundamentally plays out in the way people actually live their lives: can people afford a place to live? Like the good folks at GPI Atlantic say, by counting the wrong things, or only certain things, we miss the real picture.
Second, as the economic climate worsens, homelessness will become even more of an issue. In tight times, we will have to decide what kind of society we are: do we help the most fragile, the down and out, those living on the edge, or do we prop up the wealthiest?
This article appears in Mar 19-25, 2009.
Speaking of homeless people on the Dartmouth waterfront, over the years I’ve seen half a dozen spots being used on the seaward side of Alderney Drive. Doesn’t take much…a bit of screening vegetation, some plastic and cardboard, occasionally some blankets and beat-up mattresses.
HRM Planning used to have staff that conducted regular ‘counts’ documenting the homeless citizens of Halifax. Well, they did it for two years (04 & 05), at least. You can see their reports here:
http://www.halifax.ca/qol/HousingResearch.…
The missing numbers, and this has been an issue of contention when I was with CAH, is they ignore all the people in social/public housing.
What people endure to have a roof over their heads should be counted in their definition of homelessness..To endure the slum landlording of MRHA and the daily violence or threat thereof, and unkept properties and housing units creates issues of ill- health, lack of safety and violence.
The overt classism of HRM police lets the depravity breed out of control forcing people to endure issues most Haligonians think as American. Near homelessness means living in housing while being treated like garbage should be part of the real count but that would mean CAH may lose its funding for outing the very govt that funds it. By excluding these numbers CAH lies to the people about the real homeless-poverty story. CAH aint stupid -it wont bite the hand that feeds it…