BY TRACEY DUGUAY
Over one third of the homeless population on the streets of Sudbury ranked their emotional, mental or physical health as poor or very poor.
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Pain, depression, flu, addictions, vision and dental problems, arthritis and physical injuries topped the list of the self-reported maladies.
However, less than 10 per cent of this same group believe their mental, emotional or physical health is the main reason they are homeless or close to being homeless.
Problems like unemployment, difficulties with Ontario Works and poverty were cited as the main reasons instead.
Statistics on the overall health of the cityÂ?s homeless are contained in the latest release of an ongoing project developed by the Social Planning Council of Sudbury. The Report on Homelessness in Sudbury: Time 6, is the sixth of seven reports commissioned in May 2000 after requests from the community to determine how many people were homeless in our city. Times 6 was released last week.
According to Harold Duff, the cityÂ?s director of social services, the Ontario Works system is Â?somewhat complexÂ? and if people donÂ?t comply with regulations or donÂ?t follow through on the requirements, theyÂ?re deemed ineligible to collect benefits.
Factors like the lack of affordable housing, low literacy issues, low levels of education and domestic violence make it difficult for people to properly Â?work through the systemÂ?, said Duff.
The good news is Sudbury is taking a proactive approach to try and deal with the homeless issue.
Â?Our research on homelessness in Greater Sudbury has provided our community with access to funding through the National Homelessness Initiative to improve the delivery of services to our local homeless population,Â? said Mary Murdoch, co-ordinator of emergency shelters and homelessness with the city.
Â?Consistent methodology used to collect data for each report has allowed us to track basic trends in homelessness. By the final study this summer, we will be able to describe how patterns of homelessness differ in winter and summer and we will be able to identify any changes in the extent and nature of homelessness over a three-year period.Â?
The survey data for the Time 6 report was collected during a one-week period from Jan. 22-28. During that week, 409 homeless or near homeless people used various shelter and emergency facilities across the city. Just over a third of these people are classified as Â?absolutely homeless,Â? meaning they were without housing of any kind.
Other key facts included:
Â? 43 per cent of this overall population were made up of women and girls.
Â? 30 per cent in the absolutely homeless population were adolescents.
Â? Five children under the age of 13 and four seniors were found in the absolutely homeless population.
Â? 41 infants and children under 13 were seen in the overall homeless population.
Â? 48 per cent had no source of income at all.
Â? 28 per cent had no money because of problems with social assistance (ineligibility, benefits cuts, or not enough money to begin with.)
Â? 29 per cent of the overall homeless population is made up of First Nations people.
The entire Time 6 report and copies of previous reports can be accessed by logging onto the cityÂ?s website at www.city.greatersudbury.on.ca
Once at the site, click on Health and Social Services, and then click the People Helping People button.
