Homelessness skyrockets in Kamloops

Jun 15, 2018 | 4:43 PM

KAMLOOPS — Homelessness continues to be a troubling issue in Kamloops.

The city has reported the results of the first cross-Canada coordinated Point-in-Time (PiT) Homeless Count and it reveals homelessness has skyrocketed 90 per cent in Kamloops since the last count in 2016. There was no count in 2017 in order to align with this year’s national effort.

“We did find more people than we did in 2016. Our methodology and the time of year is much different, however the numbers are much higher,” says Natalie Serl, the city’s acting social and community development supervisor. “In 2016, we found 100 people who were homeless, this year we have 190.”

She says 180 of those people completed a survey and were identified as homeless while the remaining 10 people were dependents who were too young to fill out a survey on their own.

She says the survey found some troubling numbers, including the fact that 46 per cent of those surveyed identified as being homeless prior to the age of 19. Serl says the biggest age category was the 13 to 16 year old age bracket.

She says a youth-specific homelessness count was conducted by A Way Home Kamloops in May and its results will be released in “a week or so.”

Serl says most of the homeless numbers Canada-wide haven’t been released but notes Kelowna reported recently it’s homeless population was in the “high 200s.”

She says the goal of the count is to reduce homelessness and to find services that homeless people need.

You can view the city’s full report by clicking here.