Researchers counting how many people are homeless in Sudbury

Over the past eight days, researchers have been working in Sudbury to collect new data on the state of homelessness in the city.

They've surveyed over 1,000 people with the help of numerous local organizations and outreach workers.

It's part of a provincial initiative through the Ministry of Housing.

Dr. Henri Pallard is Laurentian University's associate director of poverty, homelessness and migration. He says they're now calculating the data they've collected.

"We will not come up with an absolute number," he said. "We will come up with a number that will tell you have at least this many people [who are homeless]."

Once that number is known, it will be reported to the city and the province.

"More particularly, what this will allow us to do is to identify not only the numbers and the types of homelessness and hidden homelessness, but also to look at the demographics of that homeless population," he said.

'Level of desperation'

Dr. Carol Kauppi, the director of Laurentian University's Centre for Research in Social Justice and Policy, says it's important to have up to date information.

"If we want to develop services that are effective in serving the needs and reducing homelessness, then we need to know the parameters of the problem," she said.

"This will be new information for our community, but also for the province and the country."

A 2015 study found more than 1,400 people in Greater Sudbury were either chronically or at-risk of being homeless.

Kauppi says she believes the number will be at least that, or more, this time around.

"The circumstances of people have changed a bit," she said.

"We found a level of desperation and need that is greater than we've seen before."

Kauppi says the team will use April to complete studies in adjacent communities, including Little Current, Mindemoya, Espanola, Noelville, Markstay and Chapleau.

The final results for the Greater Sudbury study will be available in about two months.