The City of Campbell River won’t be doing a homelessness count this year.
That’s because city staff don’t want to duplicate services and information. BC Housing has already done Point-In-Time homelessness counts for communities across the province, including Campbell River, with another one scheduled for next year.
During Monday’s meeting, council members voted to stop homelessness counts done by the City of Campbell River.
A staff report says the city’s survey is an unnecessary duplication. The report adds that even though the data collected by the city and by BC Housing are similar, the city’s methodology is still inferior and the process is inconsistent with other communities being surveyed.
The PIT homelessness count is also intrusive and disrespectful to those being surveyed. Being asked about housing as well as life circumstances annually is unnecessary, especially when nothing has changed in housing stock availability.
City staff clarified the data that the city will receive from BC Housing will still be accurate and up-to-date.
Cancelling the city’s PIT homelessness count also means saving taxpayers’ money as the city won’t have to find a contractor to conduct the survey.
