By Cheryl Jahn

Homeless count completed

May 14, 2025 | 3:14 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Bridget Moran Place on Sixth Avenue is an emergency shelter for anyone who is homeless or at risk of being homeless. And their stories were part of a survey conducted in November. It’s the fourth homeless count.

“What was different this time was the number surveyed on the street. Over 75 were completed on the street,” says Kerry Pateman, who was the coordinator of the survey. “In previous counts the number was 20. It could be a sign of the times.”

And the numbers are disappointing. During that 24-hour period in November, 206 identified as homeless. That’s up from 133 individuals in 2018 and 163 in 2021. According to the report, this comes despite a significant increase in social supportive housing.

The survey focuses on those experiencing not just homelessness, but “absolute homelessness.”

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“The challenge with the absolute homeless number is two things. One, we don’t always know where people are. So there could be others in the city that didn’t get counted,” says Dawn Hemingway, social activist and former Social Work professor at UNBC. “But also, there are so many people who are homeless but we don’t see them.”

One of the most disturbing figures for Hemingway is the number of those surveyed who were previously in foster care. 42 per cent.

“Why is that happening? Are we doing a good job through the Ministry of Child and Family Development? What can we do differently? Why do they need it is one question. Why can’t they stay with their family?”

So, with the fourth report under the belt, the information is readily accessible to different organizations.

“What we’re doing is providing that now to different groups to see what they want to research further, to see what the needed services are.”

However, Pateman emphasizes this is a point-in-time survey – one night – and will always be an under-representation of the true picture of homelessness.