The Halifax Point in Time Count (PIT) is a one-day snapshot of homelessness in our city that captures numbers and basic demographics of people staying in emergency shelters, hospitals, detox facilities, and the streets.

In total, 284 homeless individuals were counted on May 11. There were 183 in shelters, 48 on the streets, 32 at non-profit service locations and 21 in the public health system. Of those 284 people, 183 participated in the survey, for a response rate of 64%.

There are data limitations to a Point In Time Snapshot. The authors caution against generalization of these results to the whole homeless population in Halifax. It is a small sample and there is so much variance within the homeless population that it is difficult to determine whether or not this sample represents normal distribution.

Methodology is different from past years so we are unable to compare. There will be another count in the winter of 2016 which we will be able to begin to draw comparisons from.