Homeless stats need context

The city’s social master plan annual report contains statistics showing an increase in St. Albert’s homeless population that might alarm some people.

The report shows 95 people were homeless in St. Albert in 2014. In 2013, there were 60, and going back to 2010, there were 28.

However, there hasn’t been an actual explosion of homeless here. Instead, the numbers are changing due to a tracking system being developed to provide more accurate counts.

“It is absolutely better tracking,” said Suzan Krecsy, the executive director of the St. Albert Food Bank and Community Village. She added tracking programs were developed when people started asking for statistics like this.

“The word gets out that there’s help within the city, so people are going to start dropping in and accessing services, but much, much better tracking,” Krecsy said.

She added that of the 95 homeless people counted in 2014, only a handful of them are living outdoors.

A little more than 40 of the 95 are actually couch surfing. Other forms of homelessness tracked include people in transition, like living in a motel.

“When you look at that, it’s not quite as alarming,” Krecsy said.

Another chart seems to contain some good news – the rental assistance program, which provides subsidies to those who qualify, showed a decrease over the past few years to 18 in 2014, down from a high of 66 in 2012.

But Krecsy said that statistic actually represents new clients accessing the program, and not the total count of people receiving subsidies. She said 47 families used the rental assistance program in 2014.

She agreed with the city’s Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) director, Scott Rodda, that other affordable housing options coming online in St. Albert are helping. Rodda told city council that’s why the rental assistance program numbers might be trending downward.

Krecsy said the slowing Alberta economy is already affecting how many clients are accessing services at the community village.

The numbers are creeping upwards, she said.

But the social master plan report, which was presented to council on March 23, wasn’t all bad new

There are positive statistics, like that 90 per cent of residents reported feeling safe in St. Albert in 2014, up from 68 per cent in 2012.

The report notes everything from the poverty simulation that was held last year to counting up the thousands of hours volunteers put in at FCSS-funded organizations.

Council wanted to know about the increase in homeless statistics and topics like the work on the planned youth hub.

Coun. Tim Osborne said his hope is a better-connected social sector in St. Albert will help keep people from falling through the cracks.

“I think that more than ever there needs to be a co-ordinated effort taking place in our community to address social needs,” Osborne said.