> Backgrounder: Nailing down the real homeless count
Backgrounder: Nailing down the real homeless count
Contacts:
Michelle Patterson, 778.782.5279, michelle_patterson@sfu.ca
Julian Somers, 778.782.5148, jsomers@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
Michelle Patterson, 778.782.5279, michelle_patterson@sfu.ca
Julian Somers, 778.782.5148, jsomers@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
March 13, 2008
Michelle Patterson was one of about 400 volunteers scouring the streets
of Vancouver for homeless people during a 24-hour period on March 11,
the city of Vancouver’s 2008 Metro-wide Homeless Count.
Need for an accurate homeless count
“In order to develop an action plan with specific targets and implement solutions around homelessness, it is very important to have an accurate estimate of how many people are homeless,” says SFU health sciences researcher and CARMHA report co-author Michelle Patterson.
“Only then will we be able to monitor the impact of interventions. In addition, it is important to differentiate the homeless population that has severe addictions and/or mental illness from the general homeless population when designing and implementing services.
“Homeless people with addictions and/or mental illness face a great deal of stigma and can be difficult to engage. They require a greater degree of sensitivity and commitment from service providers and a wider range of support services.”
Evidence of homeless count going up
There are no formal surveys confirming the rise or fall in the numbers of homeless people in Metro Vancouver during the last five to 10 years. However, Patterson says, “It is well known that wait lists for social and supported housing have increased significantly, shelters are operating over-capacity, and evictions are on the rise.
“The fact that services and supports for homeless people are experiencing such pressure corroborates findings from previous one-day counts that homeless numbers are increasing significantly. Studies in other Canadian cities have shown that families and children are the fastest-growing populations among the homeless.”
The CARMHA study’s estimates are based on research that documents the rates of severe addictions and mental illness in the general population. It also used published literature and interviews to estimate the proportion of B.C.’s 130,000 addicted and/or mentally ill adults who are inadequately housed or homeless.
The CARMHA study’s estimates also include people in hospitals and in custody who have no home after they’re discharged; the Metro 24-hour counts don’t include these figures.
Recommendations
The CARMHA report makes several recommendations for addressing the overlapping problems of homelessness, addiction and mental illness. The study notes that such measures would reduce government costs associated with homelessness-related problems, such as increased contact with the justice system and emergency room visits.
Among them are:
Based on the principle of harm reduction, policy makers should adopt a ‘housing-first’ strategy, meaning that homeless individuals are provided with permanent housing and support. Moreover, housing should not be contingent upon acceptance of support. That is, tenants shouldn’t have to agree to seek addiction treatment to be considered for housing.
Governments and non-profit agencies should create multidisciplinary treatment teams of individuals who are experts in specific areas, such as housing, substance abuse, mental illness, etc. These experts would work as a team to provide the homeless with ‘one-stop-shopping’ by seeking them out and staying connected with them in their own environment. This would result in fewer people falling through the cracks, as is often the case in the current system.
Cost reduction of helping the homeless
The CARMHA report estimates that its recommendations for helping the homeless could save the provincial government and taxpayers up to $32 million annually. Patterson calls that a conservative estimate.
“The cost of housing someone and providing support to help them maintain their housing is much cheaper than funding a revolving cycle of emergency shelter utilization, emergency room visits, hospitalization, and criminal justice involvement,” notes Patterson.
“We used published data to estimate the reduction in health care and criminal justice costs associated with the movement of homeless people into supported housing. It is much more difficult to quantify other costs of homelessness, such as costs to the child welfare system, increased security costs incurred by businesses, loss of business and tourism, lack of public safety, etc. Thus, we believe our estimates of cost reductions are quite conservative.”
Homelessness and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver
In response to ongoing concern about the plight of the homeless being perceived as a blight on Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics, Patterson says:
“Hiding homeless people outside of the city will not address the problem of homelessness. This community is very resistant to being swept under the carpet. Addressing its plight involves acknowledging and accepting its scope, and taking concrete steps to address it.
“If the Olympics left a legacy of affordable housing and galvanized efforts to provide housing and supports for people who are homeless with addictions and/or mental illness, the results would be positive and constructive rather than divisive.”
Need for an accurate homeless count
“In order to develop an action plan with specific targets and implement solutions around homelessness, it is very important to have an accurate estimate of how many people are homeless,” says SFU health sciences researcher and CARMHA report co-author Michelle Patterson.
“Only then will we be able to monitor the impact of interventions. In addition, it is important to differentiate the homeless population that has severe addictions and/or mental illness from the general homeless population when designing and implementing services.
“Homeless people with addictions and/or mental illness face a great deal of stigma and can be difficult to engage. They require a greater degree of sensitivity and commitment from service providers and a wider range of support services.”
Evidence of homeless count going up
There are no formal surveys confirming the rise or fall in the numbers of homeless people in Metro Vancouver during the last five to 10 years. However, Patterson says, “It is well known that wait lists for social and supported housing have increased significantly, shelters are operating over-capacity, and evictions are on the rise.
“The fact that services and supports for homeless people are experiencing such pressure corroborates findings from previous one-day counts that homeless numbers are increasing significantly. Studies in other Canadian cities have shown that families and children are the fastest-growing populations among the homeless.”
The CARMHA study’s estimates are based on research that documents the rates of severe addictions and mental illness in the general population. It also used published literature and interviews to estimate the proportion of B.C.’s 130,000 addicted and/or mentally ill adults who are inadequately housed or homeless.
The CARMHA study’s estimates also include people in hospitals and in custody who have no home after they’re discharged; the Metro 24-hour counts don’t include these figures.
Recommendations
The CARMHA report makes several recommendations for addressing the overlapping problems of homelessness, addiction and mental illness. The study notes that such measures would reduce government costs associated with homelessness-related problems, such as increased contact with the justice system and emergency room visits.
Among them are:
Based on the principle of harm reduction, policy makers should adopt a ‘housing-first’ strategy, meaning that homeless individuals are provided with permanent housing and support. Moreover, housing should not be contingent upon acceptance of support. That is, tenants shouldn’t have to agree to seek addiction treatment to be considered for housing.
Governments and non-profit agencies should create multidisciplinary treatment teams of individuals who are experts in specific areas, such as housing, substance abuse, mental illness, etc. These experts would work as a team to provide the homeless with ‘one-stop-shopping’ by seeking them out and staying connected with them in their own environment. This would result in fewer people falling through the cracks, as is often the case in the current system.
Cost reduction of helping the homeless
The CARMHA report estimates that its recommendations for helping the homeless could save the provincial government and taxpayers up to $32 million annually. Patterson calls that a conservative estimate.
“The cost of housing someone and providing support to help them maintain their housing is much cheaper than funding a revolving cycle of emergency shelter utilization, emergency room visits, hospitalization, and criminal justice involvement,” notes Patterson.
“We used published data to estimate the reduction in health care and criminal justice costs associated with the movement of homeless people into supported housing. It is much more difficult to quantify other costs of homelessness, such as costs to the child welfare system, increased security costs incurred by businesses, loss of business and tourism, lack of public safety, etc. Thus, we believe our estimates of cost reductions are quite conservative.”
Homelessness and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver
In response to ongoing concern about the plight of the homeless being perceived as a blight on Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics, Patterson says:
“Hiding homeless people outside of the city will not address the problem of homelessness. This community is very resistant to being swept under the carpet. Addressing its plight involves acknowledging and accepting its scope, and taking concrete steps to address it.
“If the Olympics left a legacy of affordable housing and galvanized efforts to provide housing and supports for people who are homeless with addictions and/or mental illness, the results would be positive and constructive rather than divisive.”