Street Census – End Homelessness Winnipeg

Winnipeg Street Census. November 6 – 9, 2024

The Winnipeg Street Census, also known as the Point-in-Time (PiT) Count, provides a 24-hour snapshot of homelessness in the city. It involves surveying unhoused individuals and collecting data from health, corrections, and child and family services (CFS) institutions on discharges into homelessness. Additionally, it incorporates data on shelter and transitional housing stays. This year, 60 communities across Canada will participate in the PiT Count.

Why the PiT Count Matters

The data collected from the PiT Count is vital for understanding the needs of those experiencing homelessness. It helps improve policies and programs intended to prevent and address homelessness in Winnipeg. Consistent methodology over time also enables the tracking of trends in homelessness. Moreover, the PiT Count report serves as a powerful advocacy tool, supporting calls for increased government investment in homelessness prevention and reduction. Many social service organizations reference the report when applying for funding.

Some communities use the PiT Count to update their By-Name-List, which tracks homelessness inflows and outflows. Winnipeg may explore this option in the future.

Methodological Changes for 2024

This year, the PiT Count will take place over four days, from November 6th to 9th, allowing us to reach more individuals. We are increasing our reliance on outreach teams, who have established strong relationships with the unhoused, reducing the need for extensive volunteer training. To better represent under-represented groups, we are hosting two magnet events in collaboration with MANSO, the Welcome Place, and other newcomer-serving agencies to engage more newcomers.

Base Sites and Coordination

The PiT Count will operate from four base sites: Thunderbird House, End Homelessness Winnipeg, The Link, and Mount Carmel Clinic. Volunteers and outreach teams will collect their survey package from these locations. Each site will have a coordinator to assist and guide the teams throughout the Count.

Volunteer Training

To ensure survey consistency, we have organized six in-person training sessions for over 230 volunteers. A few more training sessions are being organized for sector staff, including outreach teams.

Measures to Prevent Multiple Counting

We have implemented strategies to reduce the likelihood of multiple counting, including training surveyors to screen out participants who have been surveyed already and offering extra honoraria to deter individuals from completing multiple surveys. We will also identify and remove duplicate surveys using respondents’ demographic information.

Key Insights from the 2022 PiT Count

The 2022 PiT Count revealed significant findings:

Indigenous peoples represented 75% of the unhoused population and were less likely to access shelters due to perceived discrimination.
More than half of the participants had prior CFS involvement, with 92.3% identifying as Indigenous.
Educational attainment was linked to homelessness, with over half of the participants lacking a high school diploma.
Many cited low income as a primary cause of homelessness, despite over half receiving Employment and Income Assistance (EIA), highlighting the inadequacy of EIA support.

These findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions to address the root causes of homelessness in Winnipeg.

The Winnipeg Street Census is funded by Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy.

For more information, please contact streetcensus@endhomelessnesswinnipeg.ca

2022 Street Census Report and Recommendations

EHW_202211_Street Census Infographic_v4 Download

The 2022 Winnipeg Street Census took place on Wednesday, May 25, 2022

The Street Census is Winnipeg’s Point-in-Time Count. Point-in-Time Counts gather a one-day snapshot of homelessness in the city, contributing to a national picture. Every few years, communities across the country participate in similar Point-in-Time Counts. Information is gathered during a single, 24-hour period in two main ways:

A brief survey conducted face-to-face along walking routes and in designated locations by volunteers
Data provided by community organizations and government agencies

The Street Census is more than just a tally of the number of people observed experiencing homelessness on a single day. Street Census survey questions reflect national standards, as well as input from local Lived Experts, researchers, outreach workers, service providers and public service staff. Information gathered includes the number of people experiencing homelessness, where they stayed the night before the survey, and demographic data like age, gender, Indigeneity or newcomer status. No personally identifying information is collected.

Surveys are conducted by hundreds of trained volunteers, deployed in small teams. All volunteers are aged 18 or over and commit to 2.5 hours of training as well as 4 hours on the day of the Street Census. Training covers interviewing and survey recording, cultural safety, personal safety, ethical research, confidentiality and consent. All survey teams include both Lived Experts and service providers, wherever possible. Debriefing is available to all volunteers. In addition to the information gathered by these surveys, some data is provided by agencies and governments for people staying in institutional settings like hospitals or prisons who do not have a permanent address.

Any enumeration of people experiencing homelessness will only provide an estimate. Homelessness is a temporary situation, marked by a high level of mobility between different living situations and environments, for most people who experience it. People who have lost their housing are not a static group that can be found in a single location, neighbourhood or age bracket. Though Street Censuses cannot tell us for certain if homelessness is increasing or decreasing in Winnipeg, the information gathered can indicate trends in population demographics and sheltering choices. These trends can point to service needs, so that community organizations, funders and all levels of government can better work together to prevent and end homelessness.

The first Winnipeg Street Census took place in 2015. The second occurred in 2018. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 Street Census was postponed. An Interim Point-in-Time Count was conducted in 2021 and a complete Street Census is planned for May 25, 2022.

The Street Census is funded by Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy

For more information, please contact streetcensus@endhomelessnesswinnipeg.ca