Finding affordable housing in Squamish is undoubtedly a struggle, but little concrete data is available to help those looking for a solution.
That is about to change.
To start, there’s going to be a homeless count in Squamish on Dec. 2. The count will be part of a larger Finding Home Project study that will include a survey of stakeholders and focus groups in order to get a real sense of the people who are having trouble finding a place to live.
The count will include “people who are absolutely homeless, people who are precariously housed – so couch-surfing and just making ends meet – hidden housed in boats and cars,” explained Maureen Mackell of the Squamish Helping Hands Society, the organization that commissioned the study.
This is the first time such a comprehensive study of homelessness in Squamish has been done, according to Mackell.
A second homeless count will be conducted next summer, she added.
The society is looking for about 50 volunteers to help with the count, which starts at 6 a.m. and ends at midnight. Training for the count will be provided later this month.
Mackell said her society sees firsthand the impact the district’s housing crunch has had in the community.
In a 2013-14 analysis, Helping Hands had approximately 288 unique stays, and the following year, the unique stays were approximately 339.
In 2011, the number was approximately 118, Mackell said.
“This shows an increase in people using our emergency shelter service over previous years. It does not necessarily indicate the exact number of homeless in our community,” she cautioned. “This is why the homeless count and the accompanying study is so important. From our unique stays, we can predict that our homeless count will have increased from previous attempts to count this population in Squamish.”
The shelter usually has the capacity to sleep 15 adults per night. During the coldest part of winter last year, the society added 10 extreme-weather beds, and this year, it is preparing to do the same.
The information drawn from the count and the wider study will help determine what needs to be done to address homelessness in the district.
Mackell said the study has brought together various local agencies including district bylaw officers and the Squamish Nation.
The study will also look at who is accessing food through the Squamish Food Bank and Helping Hands.
“We are going to try and get a handle on those numbers as well because we know that people who are coming for food are doing so to keep their costs down in order to maintain housing,” she said.
Once the information is collected, the ultimate goal, Mackell said, is for the many stakeholders and partners –including the District of Squamish, Squamish Savings, Sea to Sky Community Services, the Women’s Centre and Squamish Mental Health – to work together to solve the problem.
Ideally, what Squamish learns from this process can serve as a template for other towns dealing with the same issue, Mackell said.
People interested in the study can email [email protected]. Once the report is completed, it will be widely available throughout the district including at the Squamish Public Library.
The District of Squamish and Squamish Savings are funding the study. The entire Finding Home project, which will be phased in over two to three years, will cost $29,000, Mackell said.
Information on volunteering for the homeless count will be posted at squamish.ca and at on the Squamish Helping Hands Society Facebook event page, “Finding Home – Squamish Homeless Count.”
