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June 13, 2018 - 10:34 AM
KELOWNA - To no surprise, a head count of the homeless in Kelowna is showing a 23 per cent increase in absolute homelessness since the last count in 2016.
That translates into 234 people living in one of six emergency shelters plus another 52 people sleeping outside, according to the Point-in-Time homeless count report.
The Kelowna count was held March 6, 2018, conducted by the Central Okanagan Foundation on a night when the overnight low reached -3 C.
Some 83 volunteers from 22 community organizations conducted the count which surveyed 268 people sleeping rough, which includes those sleeping outside but also those in emergency shelters such as the Kelowna Gospel Mission and Cornerstone.
Besides the absolute homeless, the count tracked people temporarily housed in institutional care (319) and tried to track the hidden homeless (11) those couch-surfing with friends, although with limited success.
Predictably, men outnumbered women by over two-to-one and the largest demographic was those aged 25 to 64 years with 85.
The biggest single reason reported for becoming homeless was the inability to afford rent.
The homeless count comes just two weeks before Kelowna council votes on the recommendations of the Journey Home task force, which is looking at how best to control homelessness in Kelowna.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2018