Steady crowds of people benefited from an event at St. Paul's Anglican Church in downtown Nanaimo to connect with and serve unhoused local people. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

homeless census

‘I just couldn’t afford rent:’ Nanaimo homeless census draws range of people to downtown event

Apr 28, 2023 | 5:19 AM

NANAIMO — Unhoused people in the Nanaimo area met with key service providers as a monumental task attempted to discern roughly how many homeless people reside in the community.

A federally funded Point in Time homeless census took place all-day in Nanaimo on Thursday, April 27 — seen as a key exercise in helping to counter-punch what appears to be an escalating problem in the Harbour City.

As part of the census, marginalized people gathered at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in downtown Nanaimo to benefit from a range of services, like haircuts, food and resources for health, housing and their personal finances.

Victoria Walsh, 40, was there with her partner.

They’ve been homeless for nearly three years.

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She said it’s not a good feeling being judged by people for living rough.

“They think that every homeless person is junky or an alcoholic or has mental health issues, in my case it’s just I couldn’t afford my rent. $2,000 for a two-bedroom apartment when I have three kids is not going to work for me.”

Walsh expanded on how hard it is to obtain housing in Nanaimo, noting how competitive it is to find a place to live.

Prior to being outright homeless, the pair had lived in a car.

“My partner is a dry-waller, we travel all over the weekend, so living in our car was fine, but the car died and now we don’t have the money to get a new one.”

Other people on the verge of homelessness attended the “magnet event”, while others deeply entrenched in Nanaimo’s street life were also there.

The Canadian Mental Health Association’s Mid Island chapter is a lead agency in coordinating this year’s Nanaimo census effort.

Executive Director Jason Harrison said the census is critical in arming the City of Nanaimo with the data required to properly advocate for the right senior government supports.

“Being able to frame it out and have the stories we know underpinned by the data will be important in getting the investment in the community,” Harrison told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Not only is the census key for lobbying the provincial and federal governments for help, but Harrison said local social agencies can pivot with new information to better serve their clientele.

The last Point-In-Time census in Nanaimo conducted in 2020 counted 433 people considered homeless, a nearly 30 per cent increase from the 2018 count.

This year’s census will likely be much higher.

With canvassers searching all over Nanaimo where the homeless are known to gather, Harrison hopes they’re able to connect with as many marginalized people as possible.

“It is only who we connect with in this current day and it doesn’t necessarily do a good job of catching people who might be couch-surfing or have found alternative arrangements that aren’t out on the street.”

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes