Red Deer Homeless Problem

Red Deer is experiencing a significant and growing homelessness problem, with the number of individuals without housing more than doubling between 2022 and 2024149.

  • : A preliminary Point in Time (PiT) homeless count conducted in October 2024 identified at least 766 people experiencing homelessness in Red Deer149.

  • : This figure is more than double the 334 individuals counted in the 2022 PiT count and over five times the 144 counted in 201814. Earlier counts recorded 149 people in 2016, 137 in 2014, and 279 in 201214.

  • : The proportion of homeless individuals who are unsheltered (not staying in shelters or transitional housing) has also increased. In 2024, an estimated 37% were unsheltered, compared to 18% in 20221. In 2022, this meant homelessness was more visible, with five times as many people sleeping outside compared to 20183.

  • : Of those unsheltered in the 2024 count, 11% were living in encampments16. Encampments are described as a consistent and growing problem, with city crews dismantling between 40 and 200 camps per month depending on the season6.

  • : Among those counted in 2024, 56% were staying in emergency or transitional facilities, and 7% were provisionally housed within the public system (like hospitals or justice facilities)1. The 2022 count found high utilization of emergency shelters, with 86% of surveyed individuals having used one in the past year3.

  • : There has been a steady rise in chronic homelessness. Nearly 84% (or 83.7%) of those counted in 2024 were experiencing chronic homelessness, up significantly from 72.4% in 2022 and 35.4% in 2014148.

  • : In the 2024 count, 32% of individuals identified as Indigenous, which is disproportionately high compared to the 5.3% Indigenous population in Red Deer overall4.

  • : Data from the 2022 count showed that fewer people reported recently moving to Red Deer (25% within the last year) compared to 2018 (51.2%). Of those who had moved, the majority (70.1%) came from other communities within Alberta3. In the 2024 count, 108 individuals reported moving to Red Deer in the last 12 months4. The top reasons cited in 2022 for moving included family relocation and securing employment3.

  • : In the 2022 survey, lack of income was the most cited reason for recent housing loss and the primary barrier to finding new housing. There was a notable increase in individuals reporting no income (33.3% in 2022 vs. 11.3% in 2018) and those receiving disability benefits (31.5% in 2022 vs. 12.4% in 2018)3. The City of Red Deer acknowledges that the ability to reduce homelessness is significantly impacted by the lack of affordable and supportive housing5.

  • : Homelessness is perceived as highly visible in Red Deer, partly attributed to the city's smaller size and the proximity of services like shelters and libraries to commercial areas37.

The City of Red Deer coordinates the PiT counts in collaboration with community partners and uses the data to understand trends, identify needs, and plan services23. The city acknowledges the increasing homelessness and is exploring various strategies, including addressing encampments and potential interim housing solutions56.

Citations:

  1. https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/home/red-deer-homeless-numbers-double-7715200
  2. https://www.reddeer.ca/about-red-deer/social-well-being-and-community-initiatives/housing-and-homelessness/
  3. https://www.reddeer.ca/media/reddeerca/about-red-deer/social-well-being-and-community-initiatives/housing-and-homelessness/2022-Point-in-Time-Homeless-Count-Report.pdf
  4. https://rdnewsnow.com/2024/12/16/people-experiencing-homelessness-in-red-deer-now-at-least-766-more-than-doubling-2022-figures/
  5. https://rdnewsnow.com/2024/09/13/red-deer-homelessness-on-the-rise-as-cycle-of-clean-up-continues/
  6. https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/local-news/homeless-encampment-cleared-away-near-piper-creek-in-south-red-deer-7893470
  7. https://www.reddit.com/r/RedDeer/comments/17cm5r4/why_does_red_deer_seem_to_have_a_lot_of_homeless/
  8. https://homelesshub.ca/community_profile/red-deer/
  9. https://centralalbertaonline.com/articles/homelessness-in-red-deer-continuing-to-increase-doubles-since-2022

Answer from Perplexity: pplx.ai/share

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Polarization

Like Bison, humans form groups to maximize the chances of survival and propagation. As do bacteria and other life forms. In most species these bonds are largely instinctive, but in humans there is a conscious intellectual element as well, because of the nature of our brains. In a peaceful and ordered society this tendency is channelled into team sports, among other things and is generally considered to be positive. In a troubled society, the energy goes into supporting opposing political factions with potential for actual violence as we have witnessed in the US lately. When things turn really nasty, the opposing group is de-humanized and made ready for slaughter in a confrontational war, or by way of 'ethnic cleansing'. In the last few years we have been slowly slipping down this greasy totem pole, driven by an accelerating pace of wealth finding its way into fewer and fewer hands, at the expense of people at large, with very predictable results. Because it has happened so many...
Read more

Opposing viewpoints

How can rational people, observing a phenomenon, 'see' something very different from each other? Simply because what you see depends on your viewpoint, physically, and your point of view, or mindset. This explains the emergence of radically different opinions on the nature of what we have labelled Covid 19. On one side are those that see this virus as being similar to the one that created the 1918 flu pandemic, and should be dealt with as such. On the other side are those that see it as a weapon of fear without serious physical consequences and which should be ignored in order to preserve society as we know it. The people that are in direct contact with the virus daily and see it killing vulnerable individuals on a routine basis are generally in the first group. A good number of those that are not in direct contact, fall into the second category, as they observe empty parking lots and little obvious activity outside community hospitals (in contrast to those that work inside th...
Read more

Lords of the Mindscape

People around the world are now celebrating Easter, the spring festival, when life emerges, once again from the fertile Earth. In Christianity this is symbolized by the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his ascent into heaven, to once again, sit by his father's side. Ramadan in the Muslim tradition is tied to the phases of the moon, just like easter, and related to the beginning of the intense heat that begins around this time in Arabic countries and the importance of water. Having lived in Baghdad, Iraq during the summer of 1961, I can speak to that one! Passover in Judaism is likewise related to the moon and the escape of the Israelites from Egypt. What these traditions have in common is that they impose rules, lots of them, on populations that have adopted the beliefs associated with each of them. And then there are the enforcers, Lords of the Mindscape, who ensure that the rules are followed. They have special dispensations from God to do this and they are generally well fed and...
Read more