The number of people experiencing homelessness in Kamloops has increased by 51 per cent in the past two years, according to the latest Point in Time count report released by the City today.
This year’s count found 312 people who were experiencing homelessness in April, up from 206 during the last count done in 2021.
“So it absolutely is a higher number which wasn’t entirely unexpected and it does align with many of the other communities we are seeing across the province,” the City’s Community and Emergency Supports Supervisor, Natasha Hartson, said on the NL Noon Report.
Hartson says there were 194 people who were counted in shelters on the night of April 12, with the other 121 people counted along riverbanks, parks, and alleys the next day.
She also says 56 per cent of respondents told volunteers that they have either always lived in Kamloops or have been in the City for at least five years.
“And of the remaining 40 or so per cent that came from other places, 71 per cent of that group comes from B.C.,” Hartson said. “And then if you zero in on it even further, a majority of that group comes from the Interior.”
“That just kind of gives some context on, its not entirely from one particularly area. And I think people are coming pretty sporadically and not in large quantities.”
NEW – The 2023 Point-In-Time Count from April 12 and 13 found 312 people experiencing homelessness in #Kamloops.
It’s a 51% increase from the 206 in 2021.
More to come @RadioNLNews. pic.twitter.com/jmGaY9k7Tk
— Victor Mario Kaisar (@supermario_47) October 27, 2023
The idea behind the Point-in-Time count is to both count the number of people experiencing homelessness at that point in time and why they are in that situation. Advocates though say the hidden homeless – like couch surfers or people living in their vehicles – are likely to be under-represented in counts like this.
“The 312 is that minimum. There is obviously going to be larger groups beyond that,” Hartson said, noting the data gathered will – among other things – help direct resources towards areas of greatest need.
“There has been different conversations around the unique visits to shelter for example, which are in the higher 600 to 800 range. But that also shares with you that homelessness is cyclical and people can come in and out of it. That number can change pretty drastically all the time.”
The report also noted that shelter occupancy rates have increased from 65 per cent in 2021 to 95 per cent in 2023.
You can read the full report – which will go before City Council on Tuesday, Oct. 31 – here.
