Ottawa survey finds high numbers of LGBTQ youth, Indigenous and veterans in homeless population

The number of Ottawa homeless youth, reporting to be LGBTQ, is more than double the national average, and nearly a quarter of the city's overall homeless population is represented by newcomers to the country.

The City of Ottawa released the findings of a one-day survey on homelessness, conducted last spring, on Monday.

The information is based off a point-in-time survey that took place over 24 hours from 1 p.m. on April 19 to 1 p.m. on April 20, 2018, the first conducted by the city. The survey is mandated by the provincial government for municipalities to conduct every two years.

The survey counted 1,400 homeless people in total, but the city’s Manager of Housing Services Shelley VanBuskirk said the number is likely higher because of “hidden homeless” – people who might not have a permanent home but are sleeping on a friend or family member’s couch.

“We don’t have a really good idea of the hidden homeless and I don’t think we adequately captured that number. I think that number is much, much higher than the people who were able to come out and get surveyed on that particular day.”

The one-day blitz of information collecting was a chance to get more information on that segment of homeless, she said, because the city already keeps statistics on people who check into shelters. The survey only accounts for people experiencing homelessness on that particular day, so it only represents a snapshot of Ottawa’s homeless.

“We know on any given night there’s somewhere between 1,180 to 1,200 people who may be utilizing an emergency shelter,” VanBuskirk said.

The survey also collected information on demographics, employment status, military service and the length of time the person has been in Ottawa.  

According to the survey, Indigenous people make up 2.5 per cent of Ottawa’s overall population, but 24 per cent of the city’s homeless population. VanBuskirk said she believes the actual number of homeless Indigenous people in Ottawa is higher than the survey found. Out of Indigenous respondents, 47 per cent had been through the foster care system.

“I think there are definitely systemic barriers and policies and procedures where you see people entering homelessness where maybe if we had done a little bit more on the front-end at the preventative aspect, versus the reactive aspect, we can actually make some progress in moving the needle.”

Five per cent of homeless identified as being veterans either of the military or the RCMP. Of those, 35 per cent identified as Indigenous. 

Immigrants and refugees are also over-represented in Ottawa’s homeless population, particularly those with families. The survey found 334 of the 1,400 people surveyed were newcomers to the country. Around a third of those people were refugee claimants and just over half were immigrants.

Tracey Flaherty-Willmott, associate director of OrgCode Consulting, said this shows more effort needs to go toward improving the quality and quantity of settlement services in the city.

Non-heterosexual youth are also over-represented, the survey found, finding 21 per cent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, compared with an estimated 10 per cent overall. Out of all youth surveyed, 13 per cent identified at bisexual.  VanBuskirk said this wasn’t a surprise though because of past research that had been done on youth homelessness.

The survey adds another layer of information to the city’s knowledge about people experiencing homelessness in Ottawa, she said.

“It’s just another piece of the puzzle of what we’ll look at, how we can refine our strategies moving forward.”

The next point-in-time count is scheduled to take place in 2020.