A ‘Point in Time’ count that looks to measure homelessness in the area is taking place in March.
It’ll be the third time the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board and partners have taken part.
The count, which is federally funded, will take place over 24 hours March 11th and 12th and includes North Bay, Mattawa and West Nipissing.
Officials say the information gathered from these initiatives will help to build a national, provincial and local picture of homelessness.
This will be achieved through a count of the number of people experiencing homelessness and an anonymous survey to better understand the demographics and service needs of the community.
The Point-in-Time Count provides a community-wide measure of homelessness, identifying service needs and informing plans to prevent and reduce homelessness.
“The data gathered through this mandatory count will help us to direct our resources and to plan for the situation in our District,” says DNSSAB Chair, Mark King. “The stability offered by a safe and affordable home has been shown to affect every facet of someone’s life, from their health to employment to education, it is a necessity.”
In 2018, the count found that 68 people were absolutely homeless, 104 had provisional accommodations and ten were in transitional housing.
The top three reasons were addictions and substance abuse, conflict with a spouse or partner and unsafe housing conditions.

(logo submitted by District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board)

Filed under: DNSSAB, Point In Time