The City of Saskatoon is trying to determine how much homelessness has increased and is participating in a nation-wide Point-in-Time Homeless Count which runs through the end of November.  Saskatoon’s count is Tuesday (Oct8).

The City’s Director of Planning and Development, Lesley Anderson, says communities across Canada are taking part to get a snapshot of the homelessness challenge on a national level.

Volunteers will be visiting shelters, transitional housing, parks, encampments and detox centers to record the number of people impacted by homelessness.  Anderson says, “They will be going through various areas in the city, including back alleys, parks, along the river to try and meet and talk to as many folks as possible.”

She explains, “This count helps establish what money comes into Saskatoon and other communities through the ‘Reaching Home’ dollars, which is the money the federal government puts forward for homelessness funding.”

According to a count done in 2022, Saskatoon had 550 homeless people, but Anderson believes that was an undercount.

“There was a lot happening at that time, so we didn’t have quite enough volunteers or training done to get the full breadth of the countdown throughout the community.”

She estimates the number has grown in the last two years but won’t know by how much until this year’s survey is conducted.

Fifty-seven other Canadian communities will be participating, and a report detailing the results will be generated in the coming months.