Inside the challenging but crucial attempt to count the Fraser Valley’s homeless population

The buzz of generators cuts through the cold evening air as volunteers from Cedar Outreach survey the scene at the Whatcom Park and Ride on March 7.

Numerous RVs, trailers, cars, and trucks occupy the lot, but it’s dark out and many of their occupants appear to have turned in for the night.

The volunteers aren’t deterred. With surveys in hand and flashlights in the other, they walk towards one of the trailers. The lights are on, but the noise from the generator is overpowering. One of the volunteers makes eye contact with someone inside, and a woman comes out to speak with them.

The volunteers are here to count and survey unhoused individuals in the Fraser Valley. Such point-in-time counts are meant to capture a snapshot of homelessness at a given point in time (usually over 24 hours).

During the count, volunteers ask unhoused individuals about how long they’ve been homeless and why, their demographic information, and the kind of services they need or use. The data helps to advocate for housing and social service supports. Jesse Wegenast, one of the organisers of the annual count, says information about the health challenges that unhoused individuals face has been used to improve services.

Data can also be used to measure the success of homelessness prevention strategies when counts are conducted consistently.

While most of the counting happens at shelters, a few groups venture out to known encampments, like those at the Whatcom Park and Ride and the Cole Road rest area.

Cedar Outreach, a peer-support team that provides harm reduction and supportive services (including transportation) in Abbotsford, is one of the groups tasked with visiting these encampments.

It was the first time for some volunteers, while others were returnees from previous counts. Typically, volunteers work for agencies that provide services for homeless individuals and are familiar with the struggles they face. Many have also worked in social services for years.

For volunteers working with outreach services, keeping up with their normal duties is one of the more challenging aspects of the count. One of the volunteers explained that shelters typically have more staff (and funding) to assign specific people to the count. Smaller outreach services, like Cedar, have to balance transports and other services with fewer resources.

Another challenge involves getting people to participate in the survey. While many of the people the volunteers spoke to presented as homeless, meaning they appeared to lack a fixed address or safe and stable housing, not everyone wanted to participate in the portion of the survey that collects demographics and information about service needs. Those individuals are still counted, but without further information it becomes difficult to advocate for their specific needs.

Participation from people staying outside of shelters can be difficult to obtain when the count is conducted overnight because they might be sleeping or heading to bed. But an overnight count means people are more likely to be in one place. That makes it easier to locate and survey individuals who are staying on the street or in public places not meant for habitation.

Other people might be reluctant to participate because they don’t consider themselves to be homeless, like one woman that volunteers spoke to. Despite not having a fixed address, she maintained that she was not homeless because she had a full-time job and a temporary place to stay. Others, though, were much more open about their experiences and the barriers they face to obtaining housing.

Before volunteers take part in the count they undergo training. The training is meant to clarify any questions or uncertainties that might surface, including whether an individual counts as unhoused or not. Based on the count’s definition, someone is homeless if they have no fixed address, and no regular, adequate housing of their own where they pay rent and can stay for more than 30 days. This includes people living in motorhomes where they can be towed at any moment.

The count is designed to be as accurate as possible but it doesn’t claim to capture everyone who experiences homelessness or try to account for hidden homelessness. That means people who might be couch-surfing or living in other precarious situations can sneak under the radar.

After speaking to the woman, the volunteers surveyed the rest of the lot.

Aucked in the back corner of the lot, a black truck sat nearly hidden by a semi-truck. As the volunteers talked to the truck's occupant, a cat jumped into the window of a neighbouring RV. Shortly after, the volunteers gather back at their van, ready to drive to their next location.

The full report from the count will be available through the Fraser Valley Regional District in June. The numbers of people experiencing homelessness are expected to be far higher than previous years due to the pandemic, inflation, and the on-going housing crisis. The numbers have been steadily rising since the first count in 2004.