THUNDER BAY -- About 73 per cent of the 289 homeless people interviewed in Thunder Bay’s Point in Time Count survey last month identify as First Nations, Metis or non-status Aboriginal.
These numbers aren't shocking, said social researcher Bonnie Krysowaty of the Lakehead Social Planning Council, which conducted the poll in conjunction with the Indian Friendship Centre.
"I've worked with the homeless population for a number of years, so it does not come as a surprise," Krysowaty said in a phone interview conducted on Thursday afternoon.
"They might be surprising to other residents."
What should be an eye-opener is the fact that Aboriginals make up a little more than 10 per cent of the city's population, but the vast majority of its homeless count.
"There's a huge disparity there," Krysowaty said.
And while there are far fewer women seeking shelter, many of those who are homeless are senior or parents, which also has to be factored when the data looked at.
The survey, results of which were released on Thursday, shows 69.71 per cent of those interviewed were male and 29.56 per cent female.
Eighty of the respondents were new to the city in the past year. Three listed themselves as immigrants, while 13 said they served their country in the past. Seven per cent gave no response to the question.
The results indicate about 13.1 per cent of the city’s homeless population get their income from employment, but the biggest source of income comes from family and friends, with 17.7 per cent indicating that’s where they get the bulk of their money. Another 13.8 per cent receive regular disability benefits from the province, while 13.1 per cent panhandle for a living.
Friends and family also appear to be generous when it comes to providing a place to stay. One-hundred-and-thirty-eight respondents said they planned to couch surf that night, when asked where they were staying overnight when asked either on Jan. 16 or Jan. 17, the 24-hour period the data was collected.
Another 93 listed either an emergency or domestic violence shelter, with 15 people saying they weren't sure. Eight were in transitional housing and seven said they planned to use a public space and six were staying at a motel. A total of 168 of the people who took the survey said they had been homeless for six months or more. Another 44 said they'd been on the streets for between three and five months, while six had been homeless for less than two months.
For 106 people, it was the first time they'd been homeless, the report says.
It's important information to know, said Krysowaty. It helps define the number of assisted housing spaces might be necessary.
"This is the first time Thunder Bay has actually looked at his kind of data," she said.
"It will help guide us to make sure whave have the right amount of vacancies available."
Substance abuse and addicition was by far the most-often cited reason for homelessness, more than 80 respondents giving it as the rason for being on the street. Seccond, listed by nearly 40 people, was a family conflict with a spouse or a partner. Job loss and eviction finsihied tied for third on the list, with domestic abuse, family conflict with a parent, incarceration and illness and mental conditions also making the list.
Another mandated homeless count will be conducted in 2018.
