Volunteers hit the streets for annual homeless count in Vancouver

Hundreds of volunteers will take to the streets on Tuesday and Wednesday in Vancouver to conduct the annual homeless count.

And at least one expert expects the numbers to be up, especially among young people.

“First of all, we learn about the number and that’s something most people, elected officials and the public, pay attention to and use as a rough and meaningful barometer of how we collectively are doing in our response to people’s need to housing,” Julian Somers, a professor with the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, said.

The annual count and homeless survey provide decision-makers and researchers with valuable information to better understand the current situation.

Somers is expecting to find that homelessness is up, especially among youth, due to the lack of access to jobs and the ongoing housing affordability crisis.

“This is having an effect on the proportion of homeless people who are young, and also on the proportion of people struggling with addictions.”

Somers says the annual costs of chronic homelessness are considerable, estimated to be $55,000 per person in public services.