Study Paints Picture Of Homelessness In Saskatoon

Study Paints Picture Of Homelessness In Saskatoon

Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 15:12

 

 

Half the people in Saskatoon without a home are of Aboriginal ancestry.

 

A Community University Insititute for Social Search (CUISR) study found there are 260 homeless people in the city, 46 per cent of which are Aboriginal.

 

Last May, a group of volunteers canvassed a portion of Saskatoon and counted the number of people they found homeless.

 

One of the researchers, Nicola Chopin, says the point of the study was to find out what the homeless population in Saskatoon looks like.

 

Chopin says this is likely an underestimate of how many homeless people there actually are in Saskatoon — because she says it does not take into account those who are the “hidden homeless” and couch surfing, nor does it count people who are at the risk of becoming homeless.

 

Of the 260, 212 were staying in shelters and 48 were outdoors.

 

Most said they were homeless less than a year.

 

The longest case of homelessness documented was 16 years.

 

Nearly 70 per cent of those surveyed were working.