[homeles_ot-l] Controversial street needs assessment reports sharp drop in # of street homeless in TO -WI backgrounder

[Lynne Browne]

FYI . . . Lynne Browne
Coordinator, Alliance to End Homelessness (ATEH) 
Office 613-241-7913, ext 205, Cell 613-513-6647
147 Besserer St., Ottawa ON  K1N 6A7 
www.endhomelessnessottawa.ca 
 

Toronto's latest street needs assessment <http://wx.toronto.ca/inter/it/newsrel.nsf/7017df2f20edbe2885256619004e428e/6bf7496653610fda85257707005e5e5a?OpenDocument> (released today) shows that the number of street homeless has dropped by half, while the number of sheltered homeless has risen. The methodology behind the count is controversial <http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/files/homelesscount2009.pdf> , as the Wellesley Institute has noted. There are plenty of more reliable studies <http://wellesleyinstitute.com/files/beyondhomelesscount.pdf> of the real needs of people who are homeless or precariously housed. The latest assessment ignores the single biggest component of the homeless population - the hidden homeless (couch-surfers). Toronto's affordable housing waiting list <http://www.housingconnections.ca/information/Reports.asp> is at an all-time high, and the number of people housed in March of 2010 is way down from last year. The Street Health Report <http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/research/affordable_housing_research/the-street-health-report/> , supported by the Wellesley Institute, provides a detailed review of the health status of people who are homeless.

-          Michael

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Michael Shapcott | Director, Affordable Housing and Social Innovation | Wellesley Institute 

45 Charles St E, Suite 101                    Tel: 416.972.1010 ext 231
Toronto, ON, Canada,  M4Y 1S2           Mobile: 416.605.8316  
E-mail:   michael at wellesleyinstitute.com <outbind://19-00000000D35DD5900DC86F48A376FCA7B921E393A4EC4100/aerin@wellesleyinstitute.com> 

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