Winnipeg’s 4th full street census expands efforts to reach more people experiencing homelessness

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Peggy

Outreach teams and volunteers in blue vests will hit the streets throughout Winnipeg this week in order to gather a better picture of the city’s homeless population.

The fourth full Winnipeg street census was launched Tuesday, and for the first time, the census will be collected over the course of four days instead of just one.

Ash Burkowski, who is a part of the census steering committee, says the census can “give us a picture of what is really happening.”

“When I was homeless, I felt invisible and like I didn’t matter,” Burkowski said at a Tuesday news conference. “This count makes sure that people going through the most difficult time of their lives aren’t invisible.”

The census, conducted roughly every two years, draws data from local shelters and organizations, as well as an in-person survey conducted on the streets, in order to provide a snapshot of the number of homeless people in the city.

The survey inquires about age, ethnicity, as well as how long a person has been without shelter and their path into homelessness, says Jason Whitford, CEO of End Homelessness Winnipeg.

“It’s more than just gathering numbers,” he said at the news conference.

“It’s gathering their stories, documenting the truth and the realities that they face, but also what happened in their lives that resulted in them being in the situation that they find themselves in.”

Results can spark change

About 300 trained volunteers helped conduct the first two street censuses in 2015 and 2018, but following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, that number dropped to 160 volunteers in 2022, which organizers said might have skewed that year’s results.

This year’s census includes 200 trained volunteers and four stations that will operate at different times throughout the city, says Aynslie Hinds, co-ordinator of the street census.

Outreach teams from a number of organizations will also take part in the count, and will be the only people allowed to approach homeless encampments that they’re already familiar with, she said.

Staff at Resource Assistance for Youth and the West Central Women’s Resource Centre have also been trained to administer the survey, she says, and two events to connect with newcomers will also be held.

The goal of this year’s street census is to reach more people struggling to secure stable housing, she says. “We’ve expanded our efforts to go beyond just Winnipeg’s core to some of the outer areas.”

A final report detailing the findings is expected by the spring, Hinds says.

Those results can reveal service gaps and guide future funding, says Jackie Hunt, EHM’s senior director of strategy and impact.

The census provides the evidence, information and realities of some of Winnipeg’s homeless population, Whitford says.

“That evidence should lead to strategies and prevention efforts to address some of those pathways into homelessness,” he said.

He’s optimistic that the census will lead to action, and that chronic homelessness in the city will come to an end: “We need to take care of our backyard.”