services needs estimation

By Lori Larsen

The plight of homelessness in our communities continues to grow, making efforts on behalf of organizations offering support services critical.

With a goal to collect data that will assist with the Camrose Helps Project, initiated in October 2022, Camrose District and Support Services (CDSS) are partnering with the Rural Development Network (RDN) to complete a housing and service needs estimation, including a survey, for the City of Camrose and Camrose County.

“The Camrose Helps Project is driving a coordinated effort by listening to the needs of the residents, building awareness and support through service providers and government,” said CDSS executive director Lyndel Kasa. “The project has prioritized issues that are facing our community to work on defining solutions for them. The top priorities include: Transportation, Mental Health, Housing Security, Food and Employment Security.”

Kasa explained that at the end of the housing estimation survey, the RDN will provide CDSS with the data collected, which then helps support CDSS and interagency groups identify and build collaborative and sustainable solutions.

RDN is a not-for-profit that supports the sustainability of rural communities and works with communities to amplify the “rural voice” and collaborates to identify and bring focus to rural issues, build local capacity, and find innovative, rural-based solutions to unique issues.

The third Alberta’s Housing and Service Needs Estimation brings together 20 organizations representing 44 communities across rural Alberta, with the goal of capturing a comprehensive picture of rural, remote, and Indigenous homelessness.

Following the 2018 and 2020 provincial estimations conducted by communities across Alberta, RDN is looking to update the data available on rural, remote, and Indigenous homeless- ness across the province. ca. To learn more about the Camrose Helps Project or to get involved in either initiative contact Heather Barr at heather@camrosefcss.ca.

“This iteration of the Alberta Provincial Housing and Service Needs Estimation is unique compared to past iterations,” said RDN Community Development and Homelessness Estimations project manager Emma Wallace.

Data collected across the participating communities will not only serve to better understand the housing and service needs in each individual community, but also support rural, remote and Indigenous housing and homelessness advocacy work at a provincial and federal level.

“Given the increasing number of people experiencing homelessness across the country as a result of COVID-19 and rising inflation rates, it is more important than ever to collect accurate data on the state of homelessness in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, to ensure the rural perspective isn’t left out of provincial and federal conversations and funding decisions on housing and homelessness,” explained Wallace.

Data will be collected between March 1 to 31, from the participating communities of: Athabasca, Bonnyville, Bow Valley (Banff and Canmore), City and County of Camrose, County of Grande Prairie, Drayton Valley, Drumheller, Hanna, Hinton, Kainai First Nation–Blood Tribe, Lac La Biche County, Lamont County, Slave Lake, St. Albert and Sturgeon County, Taber, Town and County of Stettler, Town of Viking, Town of Tofield and Beaver County, Town and County of Barrhead, Wabasca and Yellowhead County (East End).

The housing and service needs estimation project is funded in part through the Government of Canada’s Reaching Home program.

To learn more about the housing estimation project, contact the project lead, Emma Wallace, at emmaw@ruraldevelopment.