Victoria, BC– The Capital Regional District (CRD), in partnership with the Community Social Planning Council (CSPC) and the Alliance to End Homelessness in the Capital Region, today released the 2023 Greater Victoria Point-in-Time (PiT) Count results. The 2023 PiT Count follows prior biennial counts made in 2016, 2018 and 2020, and is funded by the Government of Canada’s Reaching Home Program: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy.
The 2023 PiT count was conducted on the evening of March 7 and identified 1,665 people who were without a home and experiencing a variety of circumstances. This compared to 1,523 in March of 2020. Due to changes in methodology, these two numbers should not be cited to suggest trends in the region, but more accurately indicate the number of people able to be reached in one day.
The PiT count should be treated as an approximation as some individuals value their privacy and prefer not to participate in the survey, while others experiencing “hidden” homelessness are difficult to reach and would not be included in this count.
Data is important to support decision-making and a Regional PiT Count is one tool a community can use to measure and understand the nature, extent and characteristics of homelessness. Conducting a PiT count is part of a community’s response to homelessness, by raising awareness of the need for action.
An accompanying technical appendix was also developed by the CSPC and released with the key findings of the 2023 Greater Victoria Point-in-Time Homeless Study.
For more information on the 2023 PiT Count, including the full report and FAQs, please visit https://www.crd.bc.ca/about/data/housing-research.
Quotes:
Colin Plant, Chair, Capital Regional District: “The CRD, as the Community Entity on behalf of the Government of Canada, helps to facilitate the PiT count which is instrumental in informing us of the magnitude of our homeless crisis, and the work yet to be done to make progress. The findings of the survey add a voice to the needs of people with lived experience of homelessness and help ensure support systems better serve vulnerable populations in our community.”
Sylvia Ceacero, Executive Director, Alliance to End Homelessness in the Capital Region: “The results of the 2023 PiT demonstrate that, in spite of best efforts, far too many continue to experience homelessness in our region. The suffering and the long-term effects of homelessness cannot be underestimated. As a community, we have to do better: better at addressing the pathways into homelessness; better at supporting our unhoused neighbours; better at providing the conditions that will see everyone housed, healthy and thriving. We must not confuse movement with action and we must continue to prioritize prevention strategies and actions that will yield tangible, permanent results.”
Diana Gibson, Executive Director of the Community Social Planning Council: "The PiT Survey provides critical data on the causes and experiences of homelessness in our region that is used to support planning, services and de-stigmatize homelessness. We are very grateful to the over 140 volunteers that came out and the over 760 individuals experiencing homelessness who participated in the survey, sharing their personal stories."
The CRD delivers regional, sub-regional and local services to 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors, the CRD works collaboratively with First Nations and government partners to enable sustainable growth, foster community well-being, and develop cost-effective infrastructure while continuing to provide core services to residents throughout the region. Visit us online at www.crd.bc.ca.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Andy Orr, Senior Manager
CRD Corporate Communications
Tel: 250.360.3229
Cell: 250.216.5492