Over a 24-hour period, from Wednesday, April 11 to Thursday, April 12, hundreds of Homeward Trust volunteers will fan out across Edmonton and conduct an important point-in-time count of the city’s homeless population.
“The Homeless Count provides vital data and helps inform our ongoing work,” says Susan McGee, CEO of Homeward Trust. “There are many faces of homelessness in our city, and the Count allows us to understand the people involved and to better target our responses based on need.”
This is the 13th time Homeward Trust has counted the homeless population in Edmonton since the first Homeless Count in our community in 1999.
The small army of volunteers who assist Homeward Trust with the annual count come from all walks of life, including people with lived experience, elected officials, post-secondary students, city and provincial employees, park rangers, Edmonton police, agency outreach workers and partners, and church groups, just to
name a few. Working in pairs, volunteers will survey people they come across on predetermined routes as well as at shelters, drop-in centres, libraries, and on public land.
The last time the Homeless Count was conducted was in 2016, when 1,752 people were identified. This number was down 43% from the highest number counted in 2008 before the City of Edmonton’s Plan to End Homelessness was launched in 2009.
The 2016 Count also found that 48% of those experiencing homelessness identify as Indigenous. “That is a stark over representation that must be addressed,” said McGee. “The Count informs our ongoing efforts to end homelessness in Edmonton. We have housed and supported more than 7,000 people since 2009 through Housing Support programs, and we will continue to work relentlessly to see our count reduced all the way to zero.”
The 2018 Count was moved to April to align with the second nationally coordinated homeless count. Everyone Counts 2018 takes place between March and April in more than 60 communities across Canada. The Edmonton Homeless Count is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Homeless Partnering Strategy. This will also be the second time the homeless count in Edmonton will be aligned provincially with Alberta’s seven largest cities – the 7 Cities on Housing and Homelessness.
The final results of the 2018 Homeless Count, as well as future and past results, are available here.
Media Availability
Although there will be no formal launch, the media are invited to participate in the Homeless Count for a 24-hour period.
2018 Homeless Count
April 11 – 7:00 pm Count Begins (and continues for 24 hours throughout Edmonton)
Boyle Street Community Plaza
9538 – 103A Ave
