Outreach teams and volunteers in blue vests will take to the streets of Winnipeg this week to paint a better picture of the city’s homeless population.

The fourth complete Winnipeg Street Census was launched on Tuesday and, for the first time, the census will be carried out over four days instead of just one.

Ash Burkowski, who serves on the census steering committee, says the census can “give us a picture of what’s really happening.”

“When I was homeless, I felt invisible and like I didn’t matter,” Burkowski said during a press conference Tuesday. “This count ensures that people going through the most difficult time of their lives are not invisible.”

The census, conducted approximately every two years, uses data from shelters and local organizations, as well as an in-person survey conducted on the streets, to provide a snapshot of the number of homeless people in the city.

The survey looks at age, ethnicity, as well as how long a person has been homeless and their path to homelessness, says Jason Whitford, CEO of End Homelessness Winnipeg.

“It’s not just about putting numbers together,” he said at the news conference.

“It’s about bringing their stories together, documenting the truth and the realities that they face, but also what happened in their lives that led them to find themselves in the situation that they are in.”

Results can spark change

About 300 trained volunteers helped conduct the first two street censuses in 2015 and 2018, but after the COVID-19 pandemic began, that number dropped to 160 volunteers in 2022, according to organizers. could have been biased the results of that year.

This year’s census includes 200 trained volunteers and four stations that will operate at different times around the city, says Aynslie Hinds, street census coordinator.

Outreach teams from a number of organizations will also participate in the count and will be the only people allowed to approach homeless encampments they already know about, she said.

Staff from Resource Assistance for Youth and the West Central Women’s Resource Center have also been trained to administer the survey, she said, and two events to connect with newcomers will also be held.

The goal of this year’s street census is to reach more people who are struggling to obtain stable housing, she said. “We have expanded our efforts to go beyond just central Winnipeg to some outlying areas.”

A final report detailing the results is expected by spring, Hinds said.

These findings can reveal gaps in services and guide future funding, says Jackie Hunt, EHM’s senior director of strategy and impact.

The census provides evidence, information and the realities of part of Winnipeg’s homeless population, Whitford says.

“This evidence should lead to strategies and prevention efforts to address some of these pathways to homelessness,” he said.

He is optimistic that the census will lead to action and that chronic homelessness in the city will end: “We have to take care of our garden. »