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Hundreds of volunteers hit Metro Vancouver streets in 2017, as they do every three years, to determine just how many people are homeless in our communities.

But today, April 4, a new count is kicking off in the region for the first time, and it鈥檚 entirely focused on youth.

Instead of volunteers hitting the streets for a 24-hour snapshot, youth-focused organizations will help lead the charge in a nine-day effort to paint a more accurate and complete picture of how many young people are homeless across the region.

Youth will be counted in partnership with service groups, schools, shelters and government agencies from April 4-12, with the results expected this summer.

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鈥淚 hope that the different methodology, done over a week, will provide opportunity to catch kids that aren鈥檛 necessarily predictable,鈥� said Tyler J. Lee, who is supervisor of Youth Housing Services for Surrey鈥檚 Pacific Community Resources Society, which is one of many groups participating in the count.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got youth who we know are homeless but happen to not be there on the day of the count but will stop in for a visit and check in with someone they feel safe with sometime during that week,鈥� he added. 鈥淏y capturing those numbers, it will mean a genuine representation out there hope to advocate for more services to come to Surrey to get these kids the support they need.鈥�

In addition to working with school counsellors to find youth there and counting young people who interact with youth-focused programs, Lee explained a social media campaign is also being launched during the count.

鈥淵outh may not have a cell phone, but they鈥檒l be on Facebook,鈥� he said.

PCRS鈥� housing search program alone helps more than 100 youth per year, said Lee, and those numbers have continuously risen.

鈥淚t鈥檚 consistently been, 鈥榙o more, with less,鈥欌�� he said of PCRS鈥� programs. 鈥淭he numbers continue to increase in the housing search program.鈥�

Youth were the only demographic to see a decrease in the 2017 Homeless Count in Metro Vancouver, which happens every three years.

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A total of identified 3,605 homeless people were counted in the region last year, and of those, 16 per cent (386) were youth under 25 years old (64 from Surrey alone). That was actually a decrease from the last count in 2014, when youth made up 20 per cent of the counted homeless population.

But, frontline workers widely believe youth are underrepresented in the regional survey due to the challenge in finding them in a 24-hour period, and that many are 鈥渉idden homeless.鈥�

鈥淪ometimes you won鈥檛 even know,鈥� said Lee of a homeless youth鈥檚 appearance. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l see a youth that has fresh looking clothes but really they鈥檝e been couch surfing and they are homeless, they just hide it really really well. Those are the ones we want to help. Let鈥檚 find you a place to live first 鈥� how can you be expected to go to school if you鈥檙e sleeping on a couch or a park bench or staying up all night in a SkyTrain station to stay safe. Typically, those signs you鈥檒l see are people that are really wired because they鈥檙e drinking energy drinks all night.鈥�

Young people who are homeless face great obstacles, explained Lee, who is also a frontline housing worker and regularly accompanies youth to view potential rental suites in Surrey.

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鈥淭hey鈥檙e facing so many challenges from lack of funding, to competition, really, when a young person is out on their own for the first time, they鈥檙e competing for rentals with people who have an education, who have professional credentials, references, and a steady income,鈥� he explained. 鈥淎 landlord鈥檚 going to take one look at them and unfortunately they鈥檒l be discriminated against based on their age.鈥�

The last few years have only made things harder, with steady rent increases across the region.

鈥淵outh on income assistance are still only entitled up to $375,鈥� he said, noting a quick Craigslist search reveals just how unattainable housing is for that price.

Jonquil Hallgate, co-chair of the Surrey Homelessness and Housing Society, echoed Lee鈥檚 comments that a 24-hour snapshot isn鈥檛 enough to capture the youth population accurately.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very targeted,鈥� she said of the new methodology in the youth count, pointing to other Surrey service groups who are involved, such as Options Community Services Society and FRAFCA (Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre Association).

Hallgate guessed that in the 2017 regional count, many Surrey youth were counted in Vancouver.

鈥淰ancouver has Covenant House, so a lot of Surrey youth go to other communities to access services because they can鈥檛 in their community,鈥� she said.

Hallgate said while FRAFCA runs a youth safe house with six beds, it鈥檚 not nearly enough.

鈥淭he thing is, you have to be 19 or older to access the other shelters,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ix youth beds in Surrey - what does that say?鈥�

While Hallgate declined to muster a guess at how many Surrey youth would be identified in this month鈥檚 count, she did say the 鈥渃ommon fact is that whatever number you actually identify, you can multiply that by four and come closer to the reality.鈥�

Hallgate said she鈥檚 met many youth in the LGBTQ community who left home because they weren鈥檛 accepted by their family after coming out. Many others have come out of the foster care system lacking the stability, education and support needed to start their adult life, she added.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important that it鈥檚 humanized and we recognize that people become homeless for a reason and often that has to do with the failure of the systems that are in place to safeguard people,鈥� she said.

The goal, for Hallgate, is to minimize the length of time a youth stays homeless because the longer one is homeless, the harder it can be to get out of it.

Hallgate said new funding for youth aging out of foster care is going to make a difference for the children leaving the system now, 鈥渋t鈥檚 not going to make a difference for the kids who鈥檝e come before them.鈥�

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Young people aging out of government care in B.C. will now get some extra cash, and one more year to transition out of the system, if desired. As of April 1, the provincial government raised the eligibility age for the Agreements with Young Adults program to 26, matching the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program.

鈥淲e really do hope we鈥檙e going to be able to engage with a number of youth (during this new count) who haven鈥檛 been connected with in the past,鈥� said Hallgate, 鈥渁nd that will give us some good information to use to look at what needs to be done differently, and how different levels of government policies relate to what鈥檚 happening with the youth population鈥檚 challenges living in poverty. We don鈥檛 want them to become the adults of the next generation who spend their lives street entrenched.鈥�

Three events are planned for youth in Surrey during the count, including a cultural night with food, activities and transit passes for surveyed youth at FRAFCA (5 p.m. start, April 5 at 10095 Whalley Blvd.); a youth drop in with food and transit passes at Alexandra Neighbourhood House on April 6 (at 2916 McBridge Ave.); and another cultural night at FRAFCA on April 9 starting at 5 p.m.

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amy.reid@surreynowleader.com
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