As winter is just around the corner in Regina, the discussion around homelessness is ramping up.
The city is currently working to figure out how many homeless people there are in the Queen City. On Tuesday night nearly 100 volunteers helped with the fourth annual Point in Time or PIT count.
The count takes place across Canada and paints a picture of what homelessness might look like in that particular time and place.
The count identifies the minimum number of people who are unhoused, sleeping rough or accessing short-term or transitional housing.
“It’s an opportunity for us to gather data that we can give to the federal government and then they use that data to help them make a decision on how much funding to give to communities across Canada,” said Robert Byers, the president and CEO of Namerind Housing Corporation, who helped with the count.
The PIT count takes place every three years. In 2021, Regina identified 488 individuals experiencing homelessness.
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Byers hopes the 2024 data will be calculated before Christmas. And will the numbers be higher? Byers said it is hard to say.
“Homelessness has really just blown up right across Canada and in Regina,” he said. “It’s a different world out there.
“These people are out there suffering. This is the lowest point in their lives, and we all really just have to say, ‘What can we do to help?’”
Regina Mayor Sandra Masters said the PIT count is very valuable for understanding the issue of homeless in the city.
“That data that comes back in is unbelievably valuable when it comes to planning and advocating and understanding how to keep going with what it is we’ve been able to build over the last four years,” Masters said.
During the evening count, volunteers encouraged people to attend a community services event so those living on the street could connect and learn more about housing, health and food programs available to them.
Along with receiving vaccines, those in attendance were offered haircuts free of charge.
“It means a lot to be here,” hairdresser Hanna D’Andren said. “I think we take for granted all the everyday things like haircuts. You kind of forget that not everyone can always afford it. So it’s nice and it feels good to give back.”
Regina city council recently voted to approve a permanent shelter in the Queen City. The shelter will be located at 1600 Halifax St., the current home of the Eagles Club.
The Halifax Street location will cost around $2.6 million to purchase and about $3 million to renovate.
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