CITY – Stats show homelessness increase isn’t due to influx from outside
(Image: pixabay.com/ PublicDomainPictures)
There have been slightly more people with no fixed address and on income or disability assistance leaving Kamloops than moving here in the past five years.
That’s the conclusion of information received from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction released today (Feb. 6 2024).
City council asked the ministry last September for analytics on people travelling to Kamloops to access services.
The data also shows that the number of those on income or disability assistance with no fixed address in Kamloops is increasing significantly — between 6% and 26% annually. In 2019, there were 285 individuals with no fixed address, and by August 2023, this number had increased to 479.
A City news release said that while lacking a fixed address does not necessarily mean someone is experiencing homelessness, it’s a strong indicator that the individual may be insecurely housed, whether staying in a shelter, living on the street or in parks, or potentially among those considered to be “hidden homeless” with no fixed address due to couch surfing or living in a vehicle.
“This data strongly indicates that the increase in homelessness is not due to unhoused individuals coming to Kamloops, but from our own community members falling into homelessness at an increasing rate.”
The 2023 Point-in-Time Count identified that only 10% of unhoused respondents had been in Kamloops for less than one year and that 59% of unhoused individuals have either always lived in Kamloops or have been here for more than five years.
“The vast majority of unhoused people struggling on our streets and in our shelters are Kamloops residents.”
City staff shared the data from the Province with community partner agencies, who confirmed that the data reflects what they are seeing in shelters, social housing, and street-level outreach services that they provide for unhoused individuals.
“It’s enlightening to see evidence suggesting that the rise in homelessness is primarily due to local residents facing difficulties rather than an influx from outside” said Alfred Achoba, executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association Kamloops.
“This perspective is crucial in shaping our approach and strategies for tackling homelessness,” he said. “Many individuals seeking our services have long-standing ties to the community. The increase in homelessness is a complex issue, often intertwined with factors such as mental health challenges, affordability crises, and inadequate support systems.”
“The data is concerning and it’s very sad to see such significant increases over the years,” said Valerie Janz, Executive Officer of Interior Community Services. “At least now we can hopefully move forward in looking at solutions unrelated to causal falsehoods. We appreciate the efforts to dispel myths and stigmas surrounding homelessness in our community.”
A survey of local social agencies that provide services and supports to unhoused individuals indicates the following:
- Canadian Mental Health Association Kamloops helped to repatriate 67 individuals in 2022 and 82 individuals in 2023.
- ASK Wellness Society helped to repatriate 17 people between April 2021 and March 2022, 25 people between April 2022 and March 2023, and 18 people between April 2023 and August 2023.
- Connective Support Society Kamloops helped to repatriate eight individuals between September 2022 and September 2023.
- Interior Community Services helped 10 youth return to their home community or to another community to reunite with family in 2023.
- A Way Home Kamloops helped repatriate four youth in 2023.
Data Tables Provided by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction:
No Fixed Address (NFA) Cases Moving Into and Out of Kamloops (Monthly Averages)
| NFA Cases Moving to Kamloops | NFA Cases Moving out of Kamloops | Net NFA Moves | |
| 2019 | 20 | 19 | 1 |
| 2020 | 18 | 20 | -2 |
| 2021 | 22 | 22 | 0 |
| 2022 | 26 | 25 | 2 |
| 2023 | 25 | 28 | -3 |
Average Monthly BC Employment and Assistance (BCEA) Cases by No Fixed Address Status – Kamloops
| Non-NFA Cases | NFA Cases | Total BCEA Cases | % of Cases who are NFA | Growth in NFA Cases | |
| 2019 | 4,217 | 285 | 4,501 | 6.3% | 23.5% |
| 2020 | 4,440 | 302 | 4,743 | 6.4% | 6.1% |
| 2021 | 4,386 | 347 | 4,733 | 7.3% | 14.9% |
| 2022 | 4,470 | 437 | 4,907 | 8.9% | 25.7% |
| 2023 | 4,520 | 479 | 4,999 | 9.6% | 14.0% |
ArmchairMayor.ca 
The city massages the numbers in all areas whether it be social issues, recreation issues, budgetary issues, etc., always putting on a cheery note. They are not a neutral arbitrary in anything they do, sadly it is just propaganda and spin to placate the citizenry. This is public relations to make admin look good and quiet dissenting voters. I hate that this makes me sound like a conspiracy theorist but it’s what’s happening all over with the decline in local journalism.
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It’s no conspiracy. As others stated, reading the PR release readily reveals that the claims being made by the city, Alfred and Bob (the triumvirate of spin) are not supported by the data. The omissions are quite blatant and manipulative.
Conspiracy is questioning without proof to back up the claims. In this case, the article itself is the proof. You could say the triumvirate are the ones engaging in conspiracy theories (everything is as we say it is).
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Let me understand. The province passed along information to council which was provided to the province by the various local social agencies including the CMHA and AW. Couldn’t the local agencies pass that information to council directly and more promptly since the last municipal election? A local election which was mostly centered on social issues. All of this is quite head-scratching really.
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More bias in how the data was presented:
“The 2023 Point-in-Time Count identified that only 10% of unhoused respondents had been in Kamloops for less than one year and that 59% of unhoused individuals have either always lived in Kamloops or have been here for more than five years.”
59 + 10 = 69%. Where is the missing 31%? Those could all be individuals not from here. Making the ratio more like 59% from here and 41% not from here. The city claims that the “vast majority” are from here. But the data shows just over half. That’s not “vast majority”. What about people who have been here for 2-4 years? That’s my guess as to what the missing data represents, and why you chose to exclude it.
The next time the city wants to present their pre-determined narrative of choice, they should either release data that supports those claims, or just not release the data at all. We already know you are gaslighting the communtiy on this issue. It would be nice if we had people in decision-making positions who believe in using good science and strong evidence to make decisions. Whatever this was, it isn’t that.
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It’s a good thing some of us are paying attention!
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I am delighted for the chance to point out the flaws and falsehoods in comments made by those managing or affiliated with service providers and the city.
Valerie Janz states “At least now we can hopefully move forward in looking at solutions unrelated to causal falsehoods”. But she is using causal falsehoods to arrive at her conclusions. The only thing this data shows are number totals, not reasons. Anyone attributing conclusions to those numbers is speculating. There is no causation applied to any of this data.
So let’s look at the numbers (there are problems with the data as some appear to be reports for fiscal years, others calendar and arbitrary timeframes, I’ve had to use quick proration in some cases). For 2023, the total repatriations listed in data provided voluntarily (unverified and untrusted) by the service providers is 122.
Total individuals of no fixed address for 2023 are 479. Depending on what the 479 represents, and the definition of NFA, and when the counts are done (I am assuming it’s a count of pre-repatriates and is likely that), 123 individuals is about 25.6% of the 479. So 1/4 of addicts/homeless are not from here. That is a significant amount, contrary to the claims in the article. Individuals with no fixed address are also growing, indicating that the problems associated with open drug use and homelessness is growing.
Another way to read the NFA table, is that NFA moving into Kamloops is a person not from here, and NFA moving out of Kamloops is a person also not from here, moving back home. That table shows monthly totals. Adding both columns and x12, that gives a total for 2023 of 636 homeless individuals not from here, having come through the city (about half stay and half leave per year and that proportion is growing).
The data in the table for NFA in/out doesn’t match up with the data presented elsewhere. The biased statements appear to be using only that table. It’s not even clear where those numbers came from or how that data is gathered.
This data is hot garbage and is being used to incorrectly support a false narrative by special interest groups.
The only myth busted here appears to be the false narrative being made by those associated with service providers and the city, that people aren’t coming here to take advantage of the generous addiction maintenance services. The data actually shows 25% of homeless have arrived here from elsewhere if you take off your biased lenses and focus on the math.
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This reads like part of a larger smear campaign against Reid.
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$1060 is the maximum monthly disbursement for welfare. In Kamloops alone, we have 5000 recipients at any given time. 479 with NFA.
To fund only the drug addicts, presuming NFA receive the full amount, taxpayers spend $507K a month just in Kamloops for 479 individuals. Just for welfare. That obviously doesn’t include all the other taxpayer funded ventures that serve this demographic. Now you can understand why the organized crime drug gangs are so happy with liberal drug laws. That’s a lot of potential cash per year.
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Alfred Achoba leaves out a crucial point in his statement:
“The increase in homelessness is a complex issue, often intertwined with factors such as mental health challenges, affordability crises, and inadequate support systems.”
He somehow doesn’t point to drug abuse as a cause or driver of homelessness. We all know that is a major influence, both as a driver and as a barrier to maintaining housing. This is why I can’t trust these groups. It’s always biased spin from them.
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