Niagara’s Homelessness Point-in-Time Count Report

The PiT Count survey was administered to everyone over 15 years old who was experiencing homelessness on the reference night and who consented to participate. It included mandatory federal and provincial survey questions as well as optional questions deemed locally important by the steering committee. The survey population also included a small number of people experiencing hidden homelessness1 who were not included in the homeless enumeration. All survey participants were given an honorarium for their participation, which consisted of a $5 gift card, a two-ride bus ticket, mini chocolates and a Niagara 211 resource card. In 2018, magnet events were held to better capture youth and Indigenous homelessness in the PiT Count. Due to provincial pandemic guidelines, magnet events were postponed and alternative plans are being discussed with Niagara Regional Native Centre and Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre for one or two magnet events to take place in the summer, dependent on the current state with the pandemic. In order to try to mitigate the negative impact of not hosting an Indigenous magnet event, staff from the Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre and Niagara Regional Native Centre joined agency staff at various sheltered sites and assisted NASO with the street count on the day of the PiT Count to increase support for Indigenous individuals experiencing homelessness.