Summary of preliminary ?ndings We matter. Winnipeg Street Census 2015. We count. The Winnipeg Street Census marks the Over 24 hours from October 25?26, For this large-scale survey, everyone ?rst ever attempt at a comprehensive 300 volunteers attended, or data was encountered was asked about their View Of homelessness in Winnipeg. We gathered from: 7 emergency, domestic housing situation to evaluate the sought to ask not only how many peOple violence and youth shelters, 9 transitional magnitude of homelessness in the city. are homeless, but to learn why and to housing sites, 10 bottle depots, and 29 Everyone whose circumstances ?t the hear their stories. On the night of October community agencies or drop-in locations de?nition of homelessness was asked to 25, 20i5, there were at least 1,727 people forWinnipeg?s ?rst ever Street Census. complete a 19 question interview about experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg. Surveyors also walked almost i40km of them and their experiences. inner city streets. Where people stayed 0n the night of October 25, 2015, there were at least 1 I 7 2 7 people experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg. 132 343 361 300' 296 228 6,72 132 individuals were 343 people stayed in 361 individuals stayed in 300 people stayed at a 296 individuals 228 people were in an people that an emergency transitional housing for friends, family's stayed in transitional institutional mil?; is, staying in a public Shelter, domestic people who have been, orwould or stranger?s mace accommOdatIUn for setting and did not motel space like a bus shelter Violence shelter or otherwise be, homeless temporarin because they didn?t regent? 3"in have a permanent or park, in a tent, a car, youth shelter have a home oftheir own rm migrants a lid home to return to3 or walking around all refugees [includes addictions, mental night to stay safe health, and detox. programs) 475 people in absolute homelessness 1,252 people provisionally accommodated The age and gender breakdown is only from survey A e/Gender respondents. No one under the age of 16 was surveyed. Male 69.0% 9 Female 29.8% Residents of family and women's shelters where 0 children reside were part ofthis project and data from 8'3 A) 60+ youth shelters was collected but not yet available. 56-59 . The median age of people experiencing 52 55 0 home e55negs was 44?47yrs 3.2.9% - I There were 8 6 youth (1 under the age of 25, 40-43 23% and 1 8 seniors, aged 65 or older. 4.7% 36-39 23% 4.2% 32-35 4.1% 4.2% 28?31 2.5% 5.2% 24?27 4.9% 20?23 1.9% In 1 16?19yrs 1.5 'We matter. StreetCensustg.ca 4 participants identi?ed as transgender4 and 4 identi?ed as two spirit. We count. Events leading to homelessness Key Circumstances Youth homelessness leads to adult homelessness. The median age at which people first became homeless was years, and the most frequent age was1 8 years. Almost half, 1 0 0 of people spent time in foster care or group omes. 6.0% have served in the military or RCMR Of those experiencing homelessness for 10+ years, the majority first became homeless when they were] 8 years or younger. 0/ I O. 9 0 are part of community overall. 24.7% of youth (age 24 or under) are part of the community. The most common reason people experienced homelessness for the ?rst time was family conflict or breakdown. became homeless for this reason, and IAofthem experienced family violence. 1 are recent immigrants or refugees (in Canada for 5 years or less). Reasons for ?rst experience of homelessness (Participants could select more than one reason) FAMILY 39.9% family breakdown, con?ict or violence ADDICTION 16.4 substance use or gambling "One gentleman was telling me he didn?t have a concrete reason for becoming homeless, he just realized one day that it was cold out and . he had nowhere to go. transition from the care of Child and Family Services Struck me how just because of a lack of transrtion to Winnipeg from a First Nations community, another city/town, or another country support, homelessness death (If an immediate family member including parent, spouse or child can SUdden IV happen - INCOME 14.5 employment or ?nancial problems HOUSING 12.7" eviction, con?ict with a landlord, poor housing conditions or an unmanageable rent increase HEALTH 10.3 health or mental health issues, including transition from a healthcare facility ?He told his story simply even though it Non-Status or have Aboriginal Ancestry lndigeneity 49 of First Nations people grew up in a First Nations community. was ?lled with tragedy. From the 60?s scoop, residential school,and foster homes until CFS said "good-bye? at age 18, when he first became homeless. He had a family but it fell apartihey stayed in communication until 75.8% of respondents identify as First Nations . of Indigenous people surveyed have been in foster care or group homes. his son was murdered and he lost it having his own place means he would live alone he talked a while about how lonely that would be." 2 We mailer. StreetCensustg.ca We count. Length of Time Homeless People move in and out of homelessness as their life circumstances and supports change. spoke with someone who was homeless for the first time when he I was two. His mother struggled with The average length of most fE?CEl?lt time peOple experienced homelessness homeless was 9 months. alcoholism and as a result he struggles for 6 months or longer, with FASD. His income of EIA disability isn?t enough for him to get a place of The average cumulative length oftime spent 1 people Experienced homelessness homeless over a lifetime was 3 6 months. 3 or more times in the past three years. own on a permanent basis but he periodically has a stable home thanks to the help of his siblings.? Income Income sources (respondents could choose more than one) SOCIAL ASSISTANCE 34.3% SELF INFORMAL 17.2 0 selfor'poymen us mg pan an mg squeegeemg se mg ar A) said that DISABILITY ASSISTANCE 16.3 Income is a barrier to ?nding housing. EMPLOYMENT 16.0 formal, including temporary and part-time FAMILY 6.4 money from family or friends Those with no income spoke about being cut-off, waiting for, or unable to receive inc0me assistance. Some lacked the necessary identi?cation. Others said they were eligible but ,wl felt too proud to ask for Employment Insurance or Workers? Compensation senior?s bene?ts assistance. Barriers and Challenges The main challenges people faced in ?nding housing were: INCOME 48.7? low income, no income, lack of employment HOUSING 37.6?/ ?The individual and their wife and low vacancies, poor housing conditions, high rents and long waiting lists ADDICTION 13.6 three children moved to Winnipeg. Depressed, he turned to drugs and had his kids taken into CFS like he was as a child. He felt like a failure and wanted to end his life by jumping off a bridge. A woman talked him down and got him help at a hospital. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and kept returning SUPPORT 12.1 lacking resources like transportation damage deposit, and lacking support with life skills ?nding housing HEALTH 11.2 health or mental health challenges family breakdown, con?ict or violence criminal record to drugs Without knowmg why.? wemaue. StreetCensustg.ca 3 discrimination We count. STREET CENSUS 2015 We matter. We cou nt. StreetCensustg.ca The Winnipeg Street Census The Winnipeg Street Census is a survey conducted over a 24 hour period to gather information about the extent and nature of homelessness in Winnipeg.This information can be used to improve decision?making for funders, governments, and community organizations. Over time, it will be used to track progress on ending homelessness. The Street Census follows an approach used by cities around the world. The method has been adapted to Winnipeg's local context based on input from local researchers, service providers, outreach teams, police and safety patrols, and people with experience of homelessness. On the night of October 25, trained volunteers went to Winnipeg's emergency and transitional shelters to survey the individuals and families spending the night.The next day, volunteers surveyed peOple in places where people who are homeless spend their time: breakfast and lunch programs, libraries, resource centres, and more. From 4pm-7pm they walked 27 different routes to survey everyone they encountered about their housing circumstances. Methods, Data 8: limitations The Winnipeg Street Census utilized the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness de?nition and typology of homelessness and housing exclusions. in addition to survey data, administrative data about bed use on the night of October 25th has been gathered from emergency shelters, youth shelters, shelters for individuals and families impacted by domestic violence, and interim housing for people who are homeless (transitional housing). Some data has been provided by institutional, residential treatment, and community mental health residential programs for individuals who were homeless upon entering the residential setting, lost housing while in the setting, or will exit the program to homelessness. More data from these residential settings is still being gathered and analyzed. Though the methods used in this project were comprehensive, it is virtually impossible to get an exact count ofthe homeless population. Invisibility is a survival strategy for people experiencing homelessness. This was a voluntary survey and data is self-reported. The locations and routes where surveys took place were concentrated in the inner city and decided based on feedback from outreach teams, community agency staff and people who have experienced homelessness, however people experience homelessness and spend their time in other neighbourhoods too. The method vastly undercounts those who are staying temporarily with family, friends, or strangers and efforts were not made to identify overall numbers ofthose staying in hotels who do not have a permanent home. Results should not be seen as an estimate of the hidden homeless population. More details about methodology, limitations and de?nitions will be available in a comprehensive report December 15, 2015. Notes ?This is the number of survey respondents staying temporarily at someone else?s place with no guarantee of returning each night. Because people stay in these circumstances throughout Winnipeg and often do not utilize any services, this SHOULD NOT be seen an estimate ofthe population in this circumstance. 2This is the number of survey respondents staying in a hotel or motel without a permanent home to return to. People staying in hotels do not have tenancy agreements or legal protection. We did not include surveys from respondents staying at the Bell Hotel because it is considered to be permanent housing. 3Data from all healthcare and addictions treatment programs has not yet been received. Requests have also been made for data on people experiencing homelessness in the Corrections system, youth and children in emergency placements through Child and Family Services, and people receiving hotel vouchers due to flooding or ?res. Therefore, this number will likely grow. 4Some respondents were transgender and chose to identify as the gender they have transitioned to.This number is therefore an underestimate. 5Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (2012) Canadian De?nition of HomelessnessHomeless Hub: