Prince George, B.C. - The Community Partners Addressing Homelessness  survey  results have been  tabulated and  are ready for release.

 

CPAH completed its first ever homeless count in Prince George on May 26.

 

The aim of the homeless count was to initiate a process that would lead to a reliable and valid measure of people in our region who are currently homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. 

 

In the period from 6PM, May 25 to 6PM, May 26, about 70 volunteers and/or employees of 19 local service agencies interviewed individuals in the downtown area of Prince George.

 

Most of the interviews took place at agencies like St. Vincent de Paul and the Fire Pit, but there were also street interviews in downtown streets and Connaught Hill, Fort George Park, Carey Jane Gray Park and the Cottonwood Island area.

 

Given the limitations concerning the amount of time engaged in interviewing and the areas covered by the survey teams, it is fairly certain the numbers obtained in this first survey under-represent the total number of homeless or at risk individuals in the community.

 

In total, 375 individuals were interviewed, with 69% (259) considering themselves “homeless”. Of the 375 people, interviewers recorded the gender of 303, including 63% (190) male and 34% (113) female.

 

Three hundred and one people responded to the question “Where did you sleep last night?”, with 35% (105) indicating a safe house or emergency shelter, 19% (57) someone else’s place, 8% (24) a hotel or motel, 4% (12) outdoors/streets/parks, 2% (6) treatment facility or recovery house, and 1% in an abandoned building, car or truck.

 

The responses most frequently given to the question “Which best describes the place(s) where you usually live or stay?” were 35% in a safe house or emergency shelter, 22% in a rented house, apartment or room, and 19% in someone else’s place. (Respondents could identify more than one place.)

 

Sixty-four percent (193) of 301 respondents had lived in their current place of residence under two years, 46% had lived there under one year and 34% had lived there under six months.

 

The responses most frequently given to a question concerning the “main reasons you do not have your own place” were 30% for the cost of housing/unable to pay rent, 22% for alcohol or substance abuse, 19% for pay or welfare payments not adequate or available, and 18% for unemployment. (Respondents could identify more than one reason.)

 

Sixty-three percent (191) of 304 respondents reported that their physical health was fair (45%) or poor (18%), and 52% reported that their mental health was fair (40%) or poor (12%). In the spring Prince George City Survey of 2007, 17% of 408 respondents described their overall health as fair (14%) or poor (3%).