A recent study suggests that the number of people facing homelessness in Chatham-Kent has seen a dramatic rise over the past couple of years.
On October 19, Chatham-Kent municipal staff along with several volunteers from local organizations completed an enumeration by counting how many homeless individuals there were in Chatham-Kent.
According to the municipality, 171 individuals were identified as being homeless on the night of October 19 which is a 144 per cent increase from the last enumeration done in 2018.
“I am very pleased with the overall success of this event. When I compare the results to those of 2018, it is evident how much our community need has changed," said Employment and Social Services Supervisor Tara Lauzon. "The information gathered last week will help to guide us in our next steps and hopefully demonstrate that we need more help, and more resources."
During the enumeration, 149 people agreed to complete a survey on their experience of homelessness.
Municipal officials said 60 per cent of the individuals surveyed spent the night in emergency housing or motels, 18 people spent the night outdoors and 30 people spent the night at someone else's home.
Seventy-nine people reported being homeless for more than six months in the last year, 50 people reported having health challenges currently and 34 people identified as First Nation or Métis.
The survey also revealed that 70 per cent of respondents reported that the cost of housing is the largest barrier that they face.
According to the municipality, the Employment and Social Services Department has helped over 400 households in Chatham-Kent secure and return to housing since the start of the pandemic.
However, the cost of rent continues to climb. Employment and Social Services said the average market rent has increased in the region by at least 30 per cent since 2019. The 2021 average market rent is $1,050 per month for a one-bedroom unit, not including utilities.
The waitlist for housing-related programming in Chatham-Kent is also on the rise, with the waitlist for a single bedroom unit in social housing averaging around five years. Emergency housing beds are also continuously at full capacity.
“The onset of the pandemic threw Chatham-Kent and municipalities across Ontario further into a homelessness crisis when already pressured systems were overwhelmed," said Director of Employment and Social Services Polly Smith. "In the last 19 months, Employment and Social Services saw the progress of hundreds of homeless people being re-homed, but in the last few months, we have seen housing placements decline and ‘new’ people fall into homelessness. Our ‘by-name list’ increased and now the enumeration confirms it, our homelessness rate is nearly two and half times what it was only three years ago.”
The Employment and Social Services Department said it plans to host community forums in the coming months to discuss the issue of homelessness. Staff will also be giving a presentation to council before the end of the year as well as reviewing and sharing the data from the enumeration and future plans to address the growing need for housing.
If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness, the municipality's Homeless Response Line can be reached at 519-354-6628. The Employment and Social Services Department can also be contacted at 519-351-8573.
