United Way of Kingston, Ontario Area Releases Homeless Count Numbers – Kingston | The Canadian News

The number of homeless people in the City of Kingston has increased this year compared to 2018.

That’s according to the latest United Way Point in Time homeless count, which took place in April. The results have already been published and revealed that 207 people are homeless, compared to 152 three years ago.

“Our count really helps our community understand trends over time,” said Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington United Way Senior Director Kim Hockey.

“We get a great snapshot at a certain time and we do it twice a year at the same time of year so that we can make comparisons.”

“Housing is very expensive and I am in ODSP. You know it’s not much. It’s difficult, ”said Brad Joyce.

Joyce participated in the survey as she is currently homeless and is staying at the Kingston Integrated Care Hub.

“We need surveys to figure out how many people are homeless,” Joyce said. “There are hundreds and hundreds of people. They sleep on Princess Street under tarps, ”said Joyce.

“I walked there this morning (there were) seven people there. And they have nowhere to go because they are full (in the spotlight) … it’s sad. “

“I think one of the really important things about the survey is that we have the voice of the users of the service who provide us directly and it is a privilege to have that type of information,” said Hockey.

“And yes, they let us know what the circumstances are: the things that have led them to become homeless, how long they have been homeless, the needs they have, why they cannot find a home, what the barriers are,” Hockey added.

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In addition to measuring the number of homeless people in the city, the survey also shed light on who is most vulnerable.

“Women’s homelessness continues to increase. Forty percent on a moment-in-time count in 2021, a little lower than in 2018, but still much higher than our national average, ”Hockey said.

“The homelessness of young people is very constant; 33 percent of our total homeless population is still young, ”he added.

According to United Way, their new numbers are comparable to a real-time registration process that the Kingston housing and homeless system is now using.

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