The latest point-in-time count of homeless people in Thompson found there were more individuals without a permanent residence than previous counts in 2018 and 2016.
Overall, the 2022 count, an effort involving 16 volunteers and various agencies such as the homeless shelter, the Canadian Mental Health Association and the University of Manitoba northern social work program, found 138 homeless people in Thompson.
The 2018 count found there were 130 while in the 2016 count the total was 118.
Of those who didn’t have permanent housing at the time of the count, which took place over a two-week period in temporary housing facilities and over a five-hour period on the streets, 92 were temporarily housed and 46 were counted during the street survey. The report’s authors says 36 of those without homes can be categorized as chronically homeless.
Temporarily housed people include those staying in places such as Phoenix House transition houses, the Thompson Crisis Centre, the YWCA and the Ma-Mow-We-Tak hostel.
Similar to previous counts, the vast majority of homeless people in Thompson are Indigenous, with only 10 per cent of those who answered survey questions not identifying that way. 98 per cent of those who answered the question about Indigenous status affirmatively identified themselves as First Nations, while two per cent said they were Métis.
The count also found evidence among those surveyed to dispel some commonly held notions about homeless people in Thompson, with more than half saying they had been residents of Thompson for years.
“The fact that so many participants, nearly 70 per cent, stated they have been residents of Thompson for years challenges perceptions that homelessness is simply the result of circular mobility between outlying communities in the region and Thompson,” said the report.
The average age of people who answered survey questions was around 40, slightly lower than in three previous accounts.
Nearly half indicated that they had been in foster care or a group home in the past and a similar percentage said they had family members who had been in foster care or a group home.
Nearly three-quarters of survey participants said they or a family member had gone to residential school. In about 80 per cent of those cases, it was a family member who went to residential school rather than the survey participant themselves.
“The legacy of residential schools, the ’60s scoop, where Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and communities, and displacement due to hydro development and mining are all aspects of colonization in Northern Manitoba that continue to affect Indigenous communities,” the report notes.
30 per cent of those who answered the survey said they need treatment for addictions, while 17 per cent said their greatest need was for services for physical disabilities. 17 per cent said they needed mental health services.
The report also notes that point-in-time counts using methodology such as this one did may undercount some types of homeless people, including those who are couch-surfing at friends’ places and those who don’t use services such as the homeless shelter or who don’t gather in public places.
Since the first count in Thompson in 2015, the point-in-time surveys have all been conducted in the late winter to early spring and the authors say the next count should be done in the summer, since it appears that there may be more homeless people in the city at this time.
“The results of the 2022 Thompson Homeless PiT Count once again demonstrate that homelessness remains a significant problem in the City of Thompson,” the report concludes.
