The City of Grande Prairie conducts a city-wide Point-in-Time (PiT) Count of homelessness every two years in collaboration with Alberta’s 7 Cities Network on Housing and Homelessness.

PiT Counts serve two important functions: they provide a current snapshot of the demographics and number of people experiencing homelessness in the city and enable us to examine changes in homelessness over time.

By aligning Grande Prairie’s Count method with methods used across Alberta’s 7 Cities network, we can examine and address larger trends. Ultimately, this helps to support the goal of ending homelessness in our city and across the province.

About the PiT Count 

The purpose of a PiT Count is: 

• An enumeration or count of people experiencing homelessness:
  It is intended to identify how many people in a community experience sheltered or unsheltered homelessness on a specific day.
• An opportunity to learn more about experiences of homelessness
  The PiT Count collects information on the experiences and needs of people experiencing homelessness. This information can be used to target community resources where they are most needed and helps to shape provincial and federal policies.

The purpose of a PiT count is not intended to be:

• A complete measure of everyone who experiences homelessness in a community:
  By focusing on a single day, the count will not include some people who cycle in and out of homelessness, or who were not using emergency services. The count will also not include the majority of people who are in unsafe, unstable, temporary or informal housing, and experiencing “hidden” homelessness. Grande Prairie has other complimentary measures that speak to the scale of homelessness over time.

PiT Count 2022 

The City of Grande Prairie is conducting its bi-annual city-wide Point-in-Time (PiT) Count of Homelessness on September 26, 2022. 

2022 PiT Count Results Summary Poster

Results Summary:

• 75% of those surveyed were experiencing chronic homeless, which means that they have been homeless for 180 days or more out of the past year.
• 61% of those surveyed identified as Indigenous
• 5% surveyed were veterans
• 65% of those surveyed were adults aged 25 to 44, the largest age group experiencing homelessness
• 124 people visit emergency shelters on the day of the count, this includes Wapiti House and Sunrise house
• 43 people were counted at domestic violence shelters
• 11% were experiencing hidden homelessness, as they were staying with family and friends
• 51% of individuals indicated they have mental health issues
• 66% of respondents reported two or more health challenges