The homelessness numbers for Smithers are in and unfortunately, they are on the rise.
The provincially guided survey was conducted throughout numerous Town locations on April 17th, for those willing to participate.
The survey concluded that 29 people were living without a permanent home within our community.
11 of the 29 surveyed were listed as sheltered, while the remainder called outside a home.
The most common age found in the survey was between the ages of 25-54, controlling roughly 75% of the figures.
The April 2018 research highlighted that you were more likely to see a man on the streets in comparison to a woman. A small portion of the survey chose to list as “Another Gender Identity”
These statistics are up from the November 2014 findings, which found that there were 22 people at that time living without a roof over their head.
In an attempt to reduce the homelessness numbers in Smithers, the Town recently began construction on a 24-unit supportive housing project. That story can be found here.
The My Bulkley Lakes News Team has reached out to the Broadway Emergency Shelter in Smithers to comment on the latest 2018 numbers and will update the story accordingly.