------------original message------------

Wellesley backgrounder: Counting Toronto's homeless


The full backgrounder is posted at:
http://wellesleyinstitute.ca/ITGUpload/doc/83/shapcott_presentation_homelesscount.pdf

Or go to www.wellesleyinstitute.com, then "public policy", and "issue
page: housing and homelessness" and "presentations".

***

How many homeless people live in Toronto: Are there 500? 5,000? Or perhaps
even 50,000? On April 19, 2006, more than 1,000 homeless outreach workers
and volunteers visited about half of Toronto neighbourhoods for what
municipal officials billed as the city's 'first-ever' count of homeless
people and street needs assessment. The results are expected in late June
or early July.

Toronto's homeless count has been mired in controversy from the start.
During round one in February of 2005, when the scheme was announced, many
experts and advocates warned that the plan was badly flawed.

Round two of the street count fight broke out in April of 2006 as survey
teams were ordered into the field. Once again, experts and advocates
warned that the faulty method would lead to political controversy, without
offering a realistic assessment of the number or the needs of the
homeless.

Round three is about to begin. The numbers generated from the street count
are expected to be released in late June or early July - and trigger yet
another public, political and media storm.

This backgrounder provides answers to questions about Toronto's homeless
count of 2006. It identifies ten fundamental concerns:
1.	Homeless counts generate lots of heat but little light.
2.	There is no consistent or accepted methodology for street counts.
3.	Toronto's street count uses the 'point-in-time' method, which
misrepresents the magnitude and nature of homelessness.
4.	Toronto's street count surveyed only half the neighbourhoods in the
city.
5.	Toronto's street count relied on volunteers to make assumptions
about the homeless status of those who wouldn't / didn't volunteer to
participate.
6.	Concern #6 - Only the 'visible' homeless were counted, even though
invisibility is a survival strategy for Toronto's homeless people.
7.	The single biggest group of homeless people - the 'hidden homeless'
- were deliberately left out of Toronto's homeless count.
8.	Toronto's 'needs assessment' relied on assumptions and voluntary
disclosure, not informed clinical assessments of physical, mental health
and other needs.
9.	The 2006 homeless count didn't consider the dozens of previous
counts, needs assessments and detailed research studies on Toronto's
homeless population.
10.	The flawed methodology, lack of consultation with experts and
advocates, and the motion by City Council in October, 2005, all raise
fears that the street count will be used to cut funding for homeless
programs.

- Michael Shapcott

You are on the TDRC announcement list. This is an 'announce only' list,
so you can't send messages to it directly. For more information, or to
subscribe/unsubscribe please contact us at [log in to unmask]

-------------------
Problems/Questions? Send it to Listserv owner: [log in to unmask]


To unsubscribe, send the following message in the text section -- NOT the subject header --  to [log in to unmask]
SIGNOFF SDOH

DO NOT SEND IT BY HITTING THE REPLY BUTTON. THIS SENDS THE MESSAGE TO THE ENTIRE LISTSERV AND STILL DOES NOT REMOVE YOU.

To subscribe to the SDOH list, send the following message to [log in to unmask] in the text section, NOT in the subject header.
SUBSCRIBE SDOH yourfirstname yourlastname

To post a message to all 1000+ subscribers, send it to [log in to unmask]
Include in the Subject, its content, and location and date, if relevant.

For a list of SDOH members, send a request to [log in to unmask]

To receive messages only once a day, send the following message to [log in to unmask]
SET SDOH DIGEST

To view the SDOH archives, go to: https://listserv.yorku.ca/archives/sdoh.html