Survey finds ‘significant’ homeless population in York Region

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 28, 2016
By Lisa Queen

With the wind chill making it feel about -10C, Cassandra Vink was relieved to hear the homeless man she met on the streets of Richmond Hill had a warm, if only makeshift, place to sleep.

The Richmond Hill woman was one of 109 volunteers who spread out across York Region one night this month to count as many people in shelters and living outside as they could find.

The “point in time” count, overseen by the United Way of Toronto and York Region, was the first time the initiative has been held in the region.

To make sure they didn’t bias the results by skipping anyone, the volunteers asked everyone they met whether they were homeless and then carried on with a more in-depth, 20-question survey with those who identified themselves as having no permanent home.

Results of the survey are expected to be released in the spring and will be used to improve services.

Preliminary results indicate there are people who are homeless in communities across the region, Pedro Barata, the United Way’s vice-president of communications and public affairs, said.

“We certainly found people along the continuum of homelessness, from people who were sleeping on the streets, to people who were in temporary shelters, violence against women shelters, youth shelters and transitional housing,” he said.

Barata volunteered at the field office at The Link in Sutton.

The other field offices were at the Canadian Mental Health Association in Aurora, the Centennial Community Centre in Markham, the Newmarket Community Centre and the McConaghy Seniors’ Centre in Richmond Hill.

“In the hub in Georgina, there were at least 25 surveys (on people that are homeless) that were returned, probably more.

“Out of those surveys, we had the full continuum of people, both sleeping rough as well as at the youth shelters and beyond,” Barata said.

“We expect that will be the same picture that is going to emerge from the counts in all the municipalities…We do have a challenge in our region. There clearly are a significant number of people who are homeless.”

The man Vink met said he had permission to sleep in a store.

An independent consultant who researches policy on homelessness and poverty issues, Vink said she was moved by the man’s plight, although he appeared to be “coping.”

“This particular individual is living amongst us in Richmond Hill and not supported in any way,” she said.

“I think it’s still somewhat eye-opening that there are people who aren’t living in housing or a shelter who are just trying to cope on their own.”

The count is important because many people in the region, perceived to be affluent, aren’t aware there are people living in poverty, let alone people who are homeless, Vink said.

“I recognize there is a big lack of awareness among York Region residents of these issues,” she said.

“Having good data is really critical to program planning and making that case for investment because we do have limited services in York Region. We need to have data to support investment to strengthen that.”

The scarcity of programs and services is so severe, many people who are low income or homeless don’t even bother trying to access subsidized housing because there are 10-year waiting, she said.

“I think people recognize there is a significant barrier to addressing their housing issues, so they don’t even go through the process of applying because they figure it’s a futile effort because it just takes so long,” said Vink, who has volunteered with previous homeless counts in Toronto and Nunavut.