Winnipeg's homelessness street census helps break down stigmas, build up programming, volunteers say

Winnipeg's first in-personstreet census in four years was launched Wednesday togather information about the extent and nature of homelessness and bring some dignity to those experiencing it.

Al Wiebe, a neighbourhood co-ordinator for the event and someone who spent more than two years on the streets, said the data that's gathered raisesawareness andbreaks down stigmas.

"It really brings clarity to who the people who experience homelessness are. They're like you and me, and that's something we tend to forget," he said.

"We need to realize that they are our peers, nothing more and nothing less."

The street censusis a point-in-time count done in partnership with about two dozen local community agencies, non-profits andvolunteersover a 24-hour period.

The aim is to get a snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness in shelters and on the streets in that particular moment.

In addition to an overall tally, volunteers conducting the survey try to gather demographic data like age, gender, Indigeneity,newcomer status andsexual orientation.

They try to learn how people became homeless andwhere they stayed the night before the survey.

No personalidentifying information is collected, said Jason Whitford, CEO of End Homelessness Winnipeg, which is the organization hosting the census in partnership with the Social Planning Council.

"Today there will be hundreds of volunteers and outreach teams travelling to different parts of the city, to where encampments may be, to public places where unsheltered individuals may be harbouring," he said at the event's launch, outside ofN'Dinawemak, a shelternext to the Disraeli Freeway for marginalized and vulnerable people.

Every few years, communities across the country participate in similar point-in-time counts, which helpcontributeto a national picture, said a release from End Homelessness Winnipeg.

Winnipeg'sfirst street census took place in2015and the second in2018. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the counts to beput off for a couple of years, though an interim one was done in2021without an in-person survey component.

"Today is the day.It's a long time coming,"Whitford said.

The2015 census found about 1,400 people experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg, while the2018 census foundabout 1,500.

Before the 2022 census started, there was a call-out for volunteers. Volunteerswere giventraining sessions on surveying, interview methods, cultural and personal safety, and confidentiality and consent.

They are being deployed in smalloutreach teams to interact with the people they encounter who may be experiencing varying degrees of homelessness,Whitford said.

'Avoice to be heard'

In addition to the information gathered by the teams, some data is provided by agencies and governments about people staying in institutional settings like hospitals or prisons who do not have a permanent address.

The information collected will be used to better understand homelessness, help frame the efforts to address it and provide insight into which resources are most effective.

The census gives the homeless community "a voice, to be heard on what they need done, instead of us telling people what they want," saidJacob Kaufman, a peer advocatewith Winnipeg's Main Street Project.

He grew up in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside as a homeless youth but has beenoff the street for 22 years.

"But they're still my community," he said.

The final report from the census will be available in October.

It is funded by the federal government through its programReaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy.