Count Of Homeless Persons In Downtown Calgary - May 21, 1998

This report is the fourth in a series of biennial counts of homeless people completed by the City of Calgary Community and Social Development Department. The date of this survey was May 21, 1998. Various downtown shelter and non-shelter service providers were asked to determine the number of homeless persons who they served or observed sleeping “on the street”, on the designated night. The count is only an estimate of “homeless persons” who do not have a permanent residence to which they can return whenever they so choose. The count does not include those who stayed with friends or family on the night of the count or those who slept in vehicles or abandoned buildings where they would not have been seen. The counts provide a current “snapshot” of the homeless population, its size and characteristics, and enable the City to examine how this population changes over time. Twenty-two organizations participated in the survey including men's hostels, women’s shelters, emergency services (e.g., Red Cross), police services, hospitals, and outreach services (e.g., Calgary Urban Projects Society). Findings from the 1998 count suggest that the number of homeless people in downtown Calgary is increasing, even after the effects of adding new agencies (and beds) to the count are considered. The demographic makeup of Calgary’s homeless population is also changing. The proportion of Caucasian persons has increased over previous counts and there are considerably more men, aged 25-64, using emergency shelter or sleeping “on the street” than in the past. There are also more families in shelter. Most of these families are headed by women.

Summary Credit:
Homelessness-Related Research Capacities in Alberta: A Comprehensive Environmental Scan, prepared by Dr. Katharina Kovacs Burns, MSc, MHSA, PhD and Dr. Solina Richter, PhD, RN for The Alberta Homelessness Research Consortium (2010)

Publication Date: 
1998
Location: 
Calgary, AB, Canada