How many Lethbridge residents are homeless? City hopes to find out

A stock photo shows a man experiencing homelessness sleeping on the street. (Pixabay/Ben Kerckx)

The City of Lethbridge will be working with local shelters and outreach teams next week to calculate just how many residents are without a home.

The evaluation – called the Point-in-Time Homeless Count (PiT) – is part of a coordinated effort by 65 communities across the nation to measure homeless in Canada, and marks the third time the count will be held.

The city's community social development department will conduct the count on the evening of Sept. 27.

"Over the course of six hours, trained staff and volunteers will enumerate and survey individuals who are staying in shelters, short-term housing and sleeping rough (without shelter)," the city said in a Thursday news release.

The count will be used to provide a snapshot of homelessness in Lethbridge and provide the city with key data on gender, age, ethnicity, history of homelessness and health challenges experienced by those who are homeless. 

"Results from the PiT count will be used to improve our community’s response by identifying service needs and informing plans to prevent and reduce homelessness," the city said.

The tally will also be used in years to come to determine if officials are making progress in the city's goal of ending homelessness.

In 2018, the Lethbridge count found 223 individuals experiencing homelessness.

A report compiling the data will be made publically available later this fall.