Provincial counts conducted in 20 communities show a rise in the number of people experiencing homelessness in every single one.
A total of four northwestern communities were included in the counts, with each conducted over a 24 hour period between March and April.
In Terrace, the survey revealed 156 residents experiencing homelessness, compared to 107 during last year’s count.
Prince Rupert’s count showed 146 unhoused individuals, up from 118 in 2021, and Kitimat and Smithers showed 55 and 57, respectively in their first ever counts.
Over 90 percent of those experiencing homelessness in Smithers and Prince Rupert have lived in the communities for more than a year.
For Terrace that drops slightly to 81 percent, and to 73 percent in Kitimat, but still harshly contrasts public beliefs that the spike is due to residents leaving other communities.
More than 80 percent of survey respondents in the Northwest identify as Indigenous.
You can view the results of the counts from all 20 communities at this link.
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