ASK Wellness Society Merritt will be holding a homeless count on March 11.
Keri Cooke, Director of Merritt Operations, has said that the count will take place on just the one day, and will be an attempt to capture a “snapshot” of what the homeless situation is like within Merritt.
“Merritt was selected from a group of communities within the province, so we’re actually doing it in partnership with the province, and the Homelessness Services Association of B.C. (HSABC) is coordinating and facilitating the count,” said Cooke.
“It’s a point in time count so that means we’re only able to count folks on that specific day, so we do our best to get a snapshot of what’s going on in the community just within that one day, which can cause challenges sometimes. We did the same count in 2018, and our numbers were really low, we only counted 11 which was not a fair representation at all of what’s going on in our community. But we can only count those folks we can actually connect with. So, if people aren’t out and about or they don’t want to participate in the survey, there’s some limitations to just a one-day count.”
Cooke explained that the purpose of the one-day count is to provide a standardized form of data collection for the province, where all communities are using the same methods at the same time.
“In the smaller communities it takes a little bit more work and creativity to access folks because we don’t have necessarily large homeless camps like some of the larger communities do. So, we are going to be having what we call a ‘magnet event’, on the day of the count. We’re having two meals being served out of our ASK Wellness office on that day, and some health services that will be available to folks, just as a way to draw people in. So that way when they come in then we can connect with them.”
The province has provided $900,000 to support homeless counts in 16 communities. Cranbrook and Port Alberni will be piloting extended, multi-day counts aimed at counting those who may be missed by a one-day count. Additional research will be conducted on homelessness among Indigenous people.
“Homelessness in B.C. continues to be a struggle for people, and the barriers that they face vary in different communities,” said Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “Our second provincial homeless count is a way that, together, we can get a clearer understanding of what homelessness looks like in order to better support some of the most vulnerable people in B.C.”
If you are interested in volunteering with the homeless count and ASK Wellness, and are between 16 and 70 years old, email: [email protected].
