2024 Hastings County Homelessness Enumeration Report

As part of the federal government’s Reaching Home: Canada Homelessness Strategy program efforts to reduce chronic homelessness nationally by 50% by fiscal year 2027-2028, Hastings County conducted a local PiT (Point-in-Time) Count Enumeration of people experiencing homelessness in the fall of 2024.

As the Community Entity for Reaching Home, Hastings County conducted the PiT Count Enumeration on October 7, 2024.

Although Reaching Home provides funding for the City of Belleville only, Hastings County has opted to mirror past enumerations and complete a county-wide process in 2024. This will offer a full picture of homelessness in our municipalities and both comparative and ongoing data analysis.

Hastings County staff and community volunteers conducted the count in Deseronto, Quinte West, Belleville, Tweed, Madoc, Bancroft, Shannonville, and Tyendinaga.

At present Provincial requirements for enumeration have not been shared. This expected announcement may affect the federal enumeration projects and require further strategic planning to identify the most efficient ongoing approach.  As a result, staff will plan to conduct 2024 enumeration, however, will reassess the depth of future enumeration to ensure both federal and provincial criteria are effectively met.

• 210 people were experiencing homelessness in Hastings County on October 7, 2024
  • 125 Belleville
  • 9 Central Hastings Area
  • 41 North Hastings
  • 28 Quinte West
  • 7 Shannonville/Deseronto
• 143 people were surveyed between October 7 and November 7, 2024
  • 118 people surveyed were single
  • Six families were surveyed, representing 11 children
  • At least 75% of people disclosed receiving social assistance (OW/ODSP)
  • At least 45% of people surveyed were experiencing chronic homelessness
  • 30.8% of respondents self-identified as Indigenous
  • 27.3% of respondents first experienced homelessness as children or youth (ages 0-19)
  • 9.1% of respondents were youth (ages 16-24)
  • Men are more likely to experience homelessness than any other gender

The 2024 Enumeration data reveals not only the prevalence of homelessness in Hastings County but also deep systemic challenges that contribute to chronic housing instability.

As part of the federal program Reaching Home: Canada Homelessness Strategy’s efforts to reduce chronic homelessness nationally by 50% by fiscal year 2027-2028, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) requires all Service Managers to conduct a local PiT (Point-in-Time) Count Enumeration of people experiencing homelessness in fall 2024. The enumeration is a nationally standardized measure of how many people experience homelessness in a community on a given night and acts as a consistent measuring mechanism to understand changes across communities and over time. As the Community Entity for Reaching Home, Hastings County is required to conduct the PiT Count.

The PiT Count 2024 will resemble the previous count from 2021, including both a PiT Count enumeration and a survey component. The PiT Count enumeration is a one-night event providing an estimate of people experiencing homelessness in shelters, transitional housing, and unsheltered locations within a determined geographical area on a single night.

The survey can be administered for up to one month following the date of enumeration and collects information on demographics, experiences of homelessness, and other unique information that contributes to the understanding of the causes and experiences of homelessness, and the people affected by it.

The PiT Count in Hastings County will take place on Monday, October 7, 2024, covering the entire County in one day. The survey will also start October 7, 2024, and continue for one month, and will include opportunity for By-Name List consent.

Community and Human Services staff will consult with community partners and take into consideration people with lived experience of homelessness, Indigenous populations, Veterans, and youth when implementing the PiT County approach.  Broad communication to the community and stakeholders will occur in August 2024, including requests for volunteers to assist with the PiT Count. Training for Hastings County staff and volunteers will occur in September 2024. A summary report on the findings will be presented to the Community and Human Services Committee in early 2025.