Homeless study counts 200 people in 4 N.B. cities
Saint John, Moncton, Fredericton and Bathurst all participated in Point-in-Time homeless count
Volunteers have counted roughly 200 homeless people in four New Brunswick communities as part of a national initiative to track homelessness across Canada.
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Saint John, Moncton, Fredericton and Bathurst were among the 30 Canadian cities that participated in the count, which took place between Feb. 19 and 22.
The Point-in-Time Count, a national strategy funded by the federal government, was set up to "to provide a snapshot of homelessness across Canada," according to a news release.
About 150 trained volunteers talked to people staying in shelters and transitional housing, and to those sleeping without a shelter on the nights of the count.
They found 13 people experiencing "absolute homelessness" in Bathurst, 50 in Fredericton, 60 in Saint John and 77 in Moncton.
The count was conducted in partnership with the Community Council on Homelessness in Saint John, the Community Action Group on Homelessness in Fredericton, the Greater Moncton Homelessness Steering Committee, the Homeless Community Network Inc. and the Bathurst Youth Centre.
The data will be used as a baseline to measure changes over time.