On Monday, September 26 and 27, the City of Grande Prairie is taking part in a coordinated effort to measure homelessness across Canada with its 6th bi-annual Point-in-Time (PiT) Count on Homelessness.

From 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., approximately 35 volunteers will canvass neighbourhoods throughout the city while wearing luminous safety vests and t-shirts with the City's logo. Volunteers will engage everyone they meet in conversation on housing and homelessness and ask those who say they are experiencing homelessness to take a brief survey.

The count tracks homelessness in many forms including people staying in emergency shelters, short-term housing and more to improve understanding of the needs and circumstances of the people who are affected by homelessness in our community.

The City incorporates PiT Count findings with data from local partners and organizations to provide an evidence-based approach to our programming, policy and advocacy that supports the 2021–2023 Homelessness Strategy.

Participating in the PiT Count is a collaboration with Alberta’s 7 Cities Network on Housing and Homelessness. Working with the 7 Cities Network and Homelessness Partnering Strategy means that Grande Prairie’s findings are used in broader policy development, creating a strengthened local, provincial, and national approach to ending homelessness.

The results from Grande Prairie’s 2022 PiT Count will be released publicly once the report is completed, tentatively scheduled for November, along with preliminary results from the 7 Cities Network.