Point-in-Time Count

The Point-in-Time (PiT) Count is a national effort to measure the number of people experiencing homelessness in communities. It provides a national picture of homelessness, and the information needed to understand changes in homelessness across communities and over time. Communities must run their Point-in-Time Count sometime between October 1 and November 30 and must include the two parts, the Count (also known as the enumeration) and the Survey.

The Count is a 24-hour event where outreach teams canvass outdoor areas, shelters, transitional shelters, transitional housing facilities, drop-in and day centres, hospitals and correctional facilities. The Survey is a set of standardized survey questions administered directly to individuals experiencing homelessness.

Ottawa's 2024 Count

Participation in the Count and Survey is crucial for understanding the evolving nature of homelessness in Ottawa.

In Ottawa, the 2024 Count will occur from noon on Wednesday, October 23, to noon on Thursday, October 24.

The 2024 Survey will run between noon on Wednesday, October 23, and 4 pm on Monday, October 28. This is an extended survey period compared to previous years that expects to capture populations often missed or undercounted. For example, youth, women, Indigenous Peoples and those experiencing hidden homelessness, such as those couch-surfing or staying in temporary, insecure housing.

The City of Ottawa’s Housing and Homelessness Services are co-leading the 2024 PiT Count in partnership with Indigenous Housing Partners. Supporting the count is a core group of representatives from organizations serving hard-to-reach populations. This includes Indigenous individuals and families, youth, veterans, justice-involved individuals, and newcomers. There will also be training, and information sessions for the service sector, partner agencies, other City of Ottawa departments, and individuals with lived experience of homelessness.

For more information, contact pitcount_dénombrementponctuel@ottawa.ca.

Background

The Point-in-Time (PiT) Count is a nationally coordinated effort to capture information about homelessness in Canada. It has two components:

• An Enumeration, which happens over a 24-hour period and aims to:
  • Estimate of the number of people experiencing homelessness in an area
  • Identify the locations where people are spending the night, for example, shelters, transitional housing, or unsheltered locations
• A Survey on Homelessness which aims to:
  • Document the experiences of people affected by homelessness
  • Collect valuable information on demographics, characteristics, and contributing factors of homelessness

The Point-in-Time Count helps communities understand the scope of homelessness and the needs of those experiencing homelessness. The findings support resource allocation and the development of targeted programs and policies to prevent, reduce, and end homelessness. National coordination of PiT Counts also helps highlight areas of increased need across the country.

Approach

Surveyors recruit respondents with convenience sampling, which means they approach potential respondents that are close by during the survey period. Many factors can affect participation in the survey including:

• Number of community partners involved in the PiT Count
• Location of surveyors and their physical proximity to potential respondents
• Number of engagement events

City of Ottawa counts

City staff and community partners work together to survey people experiencing homelessness in Ottawa. The City has led two counts:

• April 2018
• October 2021

Results

Changes in results between counts may be due to:

• changes within the homeless population
• shifts in methodology
• environmental factors

For example, many factors affected housing and homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. An analysis shows that the pandemic helped some housing situations and worsened others.

Reports

• 2021 Point-in-Time Count report
• 2021 Homelessness Point-in-Time Count infographic
• 2018 Point-in-Time Count report
• 2018 Homelessness Point-in-Time Count infographic

Results shown in the Survey results: Point-in-Time count dashboard are presented by sector. The name and definition of each sector are below:

• All: All respondents who answered the survey
• Single adult: Respondents aged 25 years or older and not accompanied by anyone
• Single youth: Respondents under 25 years old and not accompanied by anyone
• Family: Respondents accompanied by children under 18 years old

To download the data, visit Open Ottawa. 

Keyboard shortcuts in the Power BI Dashboard

Keyboard shortcuts are helpful for moving around in Power BI reports using a keyboard. When accessing a Power BI report, you can press Shift + Question mark (?) to show keyboard shortcuts.

To enter the Power BI report from the Survey results: Point-in-Time count dashboard by using a keyboard, press Tab once after the 'full screen view' link and then press Ctrl + Enter. A small box will appear in the top left corner of the report. Press Tab three times to navigate through the options and you will then be inside the report.

Dashboard

Having trouble viewing the Dashboard? Try viewing the Survey results: Point-in-Time count dashboard in full-screen mode.