Canada-wide research project explores homelessness in Montreal

There were more Canadians experiencing homelessness during the pandemic.

That’s one of the preliminary findings from data collected by the “Homelessness Counts” research project by the Lawson Health Research Institute.

On Tuesday their team was in Montreal to host a forum, where members of the community discussed key issues surrounding the unhoused.

“Not only to know total numbers, but who, so we can have effective programs to transition people out of homelessness,” Dr. Cheryl Forchuk, the group’s assistant scientific director.

“We spent days in encampments, in homeless shelters, on the streets, under bridges.”

The team asked questions and got in-depth context on the unhoused across the nation, seeing firsthand what they’re experiencing.

“Just about 16 per cent of the people we interviewed had their first experience of homelessness during the pandemic,” said Forchuk.

Forchuk also noted there are multiple regional differences in urban versus rural communities – like access to services.

With 14 months left of the project, the forums allow members of the communities to discuss issues surrounding homelessness and provide feedback to the research team.

“Homelessness, it’s a problem that we should all of us take seriously,” said Dr. Boniface Harerimana, a research fellow at Lawson.

Documents showing Canada-wide research on homelessness by Lawson Health Research Institute. (Credit: CityNews/Pamela Pagano)

Since January 2021, the research team has been to every province and territory, interviewing more than 400 people experiencing homelessness in each of the 28 communities visited.

“Amazed by the fact that the people were open to tell us their stories,” said Harerimana.

Several advocates were at the forum in Montreal.

“These are terrific events, important events, galvanizing events for our sector,” said James Hughes of the Old Brewery Mission, who sent a team to the forum. “And Old Brewery was very happy to send representatives to the event and hopefully good things will come of it.”

Hughes predicts Montreal’s homeless count done in October will show a higher number of unhoused people in the city compared to when it was last conducted in 2018, which saw a total of 3,149 people.

“It’s not just about how many people are becoming homeless,” said Hughes. “It’s who are becoming homeless and why. And ultimately, what can we do about it?”

By gathering the most accurate numbers of people experiencing homelessness across the country, the research hopes this will help with solutions, such as increased services targeted to address specific concerns and vulnerable populations in each community.

“We really need all levels of government working on this as well as the different sectors,” said Forchuk.