Media Release – July 25, 2022 – How do you measure homelessness?

Media Release

For Immediate Release July 25, 2022

HOW DO YOU MEASURE HOMELESSNESS?

PARRY SOUND, ON – Typically, the word 'homeless' brings to mind images with people living on the streets and asking strangers for spare change. The population is visible, strikingly so. What is not so obvious is the type that eludes public recognition. This invisible category of homelessness is characterized by individuals who do not necessarily lack shelter but do lack stability. It is most often found in rural areas, where it is less likely to see people actually living on the street and equally unlikely to see an emergency shelter within reasonable walking distance. The general lack of accessible resources in rural areas is why homelessness is, and should be, an even more pervasive issue in these settings. While the rural homeless may not always be sleeping on city sidewalks or in public places, they are not any less homeless than their urban counterparts. They may be sleeping in their car, a shed, an RV or, most commonly, on the couch of a relative or friend. The question then becomes, how can we help these people if we don’t know who they are?

It’s difficult to define and meet the needs of those experiencing homelessness unless those needs can be accurately measured in the community. Yet, measuring homelessness can be a real challenge due to the transience and mobility of the population, the cyclical nature of homelessness for many individuals and families, and the fact that homelessness is not always visible.

As the Service Manager for the area, the District of Parry Sound Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB) is responsible for conducting an anonymous count, referred to as Enumeration, to provide a measure of homelessness in the district. Enumeration is overseen by the Province of Ontario through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and is required to be completed every two years. While enumeration provides some level of measurement, it does have some limitations.

The Province of Ontario now requires Service Managers, such as the DSSAB, to manage a By-Name List to provide a comprehensive list of every person in the community experiencing homelessness updated in real-time. When someone is identified as experiencing homelessness they are asked for their consent, and if given, their name is added to the By-Name List. When that person attains housing, their name is removed from the list but kept within a system to ensure that they can be identified if they return to the list. By maintaining the By-Name List, communities can track the ever-changing size and composition of their homeless population while also keeping detailed records about every homeless person in the area to ensure nobody falls through the cracks.

The By-Name List will provide benefits to those experiencing homelessness and to those working to eliminate homelessness in the community. The By-Name List restores human dignity to the homeless individual by not merely referring to them as a number on a list, but rather as a named human being who is known, recognized, and actively being cared for in this difficult season of life. It will also allow DSSAB’s Housing Stability team to create a profile that includes the individual’s background, health issues, their homeless history, and their housing needs. This profile can be shared, with consent, with other