The Sunshine Coast is one of several communities outside Metro Vancouver participating in a homeless count being organized by the Homelessness Services Association of BC under contract for the provincial government.
The Sunshine Coast count is set for April 23, and local coordinator Jacob Taves said they’re looking for volunteers to help.
Taves said RainCity Housing, the shelter operator on the Coast, as well as the Salvation Army, BC Housing and the Community Services Society, are helping with the local count.
“Information is going to be collected through surveys with willing people – age, gender, other information like that – so we can take a look and paint a picture of the trends in homelessness,” he said. “It’s a combination of meal services and events and drop-in sites; also there will be people who are driving and doing walking routes [to meet the homeless].”
Details of the “magnet events” are still being worked out ahead of the April 23 survey, but they’ll likely be held in Sechelt, Roberts Creek and Gibsons.
Taves said they’re looking for people available to work at the events to either do interviews or help with meals.
“People will be coming in from the Homelessness Services Association to do [volunteer] training for folks,” he said.
Taves also said that while the survey is designed to match the other surveys being done across the province, they’ll also be gathering information specific to the situation here on the Coast. “We’ve got some interesting issues on the Sunshine Coast, being a rural area and spread out,” he said. “We’ll be looking for information on things like whether people are living on a couch or living outside. We have a lot of people living on boats… All of that sort of information.”
The count will also include numbers from shelter beds, transition houses and other services.
According to a 2010 report by the Sunshine Coast Homelessness Advisory Committee, a count conducted by the District of Sechelt in 2009 found 54 people who identified as homeless in the region. It was estimated about 84 clients used the extreme weather shelter that year.
The report also cites a 2007 survey conducted by the BC Schizophrenia Society that put the number of homeless on the Sunshine Coast as high as 240.
The Community Foundation’s 2017 Vital Signs report, which focused on vulnerable populations, said in 2016-17 the shelter saw about 72 clients and was “at or over capacity 175 nights out of 202.”
Vital Signs coordinator Don Basham told Coast Reporter at the time there are indicators that point to homelessness, or reliance on marginal housing, as a major issue on the Coast. “It’s impossible for us to track, but we know anecdotally that there’s a huge number of people living in the woods, living in trailers, couch-surfing with friends and relatives that we can’t quantify but we know are happening,” he said.
The Homelessness Services Association says it’s looking for volunteers who are: “Compassionate, accepting, and comfortable with one-on-one conversations. Have a friendly, non-judgmental attitude and a good sense of humour. Are 19 years of age or older and younger than 70 years of age.” The association says the age requirements are insurance related.
If you’re interested in volunteering or have questions, see www.surveymonkey.com/r/Schelt2018 or contact Jacob Taves by email at: [email protected]
