2017 Simcoe County Emergency Shelter Database Analysis. For Period of January 1, 2017 December 31, 2017

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1 2017 Simcoe County Emergency Shelter Database Analysis For Period of January 1, 2017 December 31, 2017 Prepared by: Victoria Chapman, Research Analyst March 2018

2 Table of Contents Background... 4 Homelessness Prevention... 4 Emergency Shelter System in Simcoe County... 4 Methodology... 5 Shelter Management System Data... 5 Analysis Considerations... 5 Explanation of Terminology... 5 Analysis... 6 Demographic Profile... 6 Annual Utilization... 6 Age... 6 Gender... 7 Citizenship Status... 7 Native Status Card... 7 Language... 7 Area Coming From... 8 Marital Status... 8 Family Structure... 9 Income... 9 Discharge from Facilities Shelter Utilization Applicant Length of Stay Length of Stay: Families and Lone Applicants Applicants per Month Shelter Use by Type Shelter and Motel Use by Name Reason for Shelter Use Extended Stay Requests Recidivism Summary

3 Table of Figures Figure 1: Emergency Shelter System Service Providers in Simcoe County, Figure 2: Applicants of Emergency Shelters in Simcoe County, Figure 3: Age of Applicants in Simcoe County, Figure 4: Locations of Applicants, Figure 5: Marital Status of Applicants, Figure 6: Family Structure of Applicants, Figure 7: Monthly Income of Applicants, Figure 8: Facility Type, Figure 9: Facility Name, Figure 10: Average Number of Days Stayed by Applicants, Figure 11: Number of Days Stayed by Applicants, Figure 12: Length of Stay for Families and Lone-Applicants, Figure 13: Number of All Applications and Youth (16-24 years) Applicants per month, Figure 14: Shelter Type, Figure 15: Shelter Name, Figure 16: Applicants Reasons for Staying, Figure 17: Shelter Extended Stays, Figure 18: Motel Extended Stays, Figure 19: Recidivism Rate by Age Group,

4 Background HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION Community partnerships and service provider contracts, have helped Simcoe County provide more seamless and integrated services to individuals, youth, and families impacted by homelessness. Partnership initiatives continuously address the following core service delivery element: To move people from the street into emergency shelters; To move people from emergency shelters into permanent accommodations; To prevent homelessness by helping people at risk of losing permanent housing. EMERGENCY SHELTER SYSTEM IN SIMCOE COUNTY The Emergency Shelter System in Simcoe County consists of emergency shelters and a motel voucher system. Emergency shelters provide short-term lodging and personal needs to people experiencing homelessness. The emerency shelters are used by individuals in need of temporary housing and support. The motel voucher system is provided to communities in Simcoe County that do not have an emergency shelter. The motel voucher system provides funding and case management support to individuals and families in need. A list of the emergency shelters and motel voucher programs available in Simcoe County is provided in Figure 1. Figure 1: Emergency Shelter System Service Providers in Simcoe County, 2017 Service Provider Service Population Location Community Reach Motel Voucher Individuals and families Town of Midland Contact Motel Voucher Individuals and families South Simcoe Elizabeth Fry Society Women City of Barrie La Maison Rosewood Shelter Women and children Town of Midland Lighthouse Christian Ministries Men City of Orillia Salvation Army Men City of Barrie Salvation Army Motel Voucher Individuals and families City of Orillia Salvation Army Motel Voucher Individuals and families Town of Collingwood Salvation Army Motel Voucher Individuals and families City of Barrie Victim Crisis Motel Voucher Individuals and families City of Orillia Youth Haven Male and female youth City of Barrie 4

5 The Town of Midland and the City of Barrie are supported by Out of the Cold programs. In addition, a Central Intake program is located at the David Busby Street Centre to help co-ordinate access to the various emergency shelters and homelessness programs in Barrie. Also, information and referral for homelessness support services in Simcoe County can be accessed by dialing 211 services. Methodology SHELTER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM DATA The Shelter Management System (SMS) database was put in place in This database stores information from the clients who utilize the emergency shelter system in Simcoe County. The SMS database does not collect information from the Out of the Cold program. Demographic information is collected from each applicant and any dependents that may be present with them during their stay. This information provides a valuable opportunity to develop a detailed picture of emergency shelter use in Simcoe County. The information can also be used to identify the subpopulations who have the highest risk of experiencing chronic homelessness. ANALYSIS CONSIDERATIONS Repeat records of applicant stays may exist in the data because of the method used to collect the data. Since the SMS database is updated on an ongoing basis, the data reported may change as the repeated records are identified and merged. The data for this analysis was collected from January 1 st to December 31 st, This means stay days for clients who checked in before January 1 st and stayed into the year were not counted. Stay days for clients who checked in before December 31 st and stayed into the following year were counted up until the extraction date. EXPLANATION OF TERMINOLOGY Applicants Individuals who enter a shelter in Simcoe County are inputted into the Shelter Management System (SMS) and given unique identifying IDs. Also defined as households by Ministry of Housing (MHO). Individuals The total number of people including the primary applicant and dependents. 5

6 Families The number of families that accessed the shelter system as a family unit. Families with Children The number of families that accessed the shelter system with a child under 15 years of age. Analysis DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE Annual Utilization In 2017, a total of 1,198 applicants stayed at an emergency shelter within Simcoe County. The total number of individuals (applicants + dependents) was 2,266. Figure 2: Applicants of Emergency Shelters in Simcoe County, 2017 Year Applicants Individuals ,239 2, ,289 2, ,149 2, ,141 2, ,102 2, ,198 2,266 Note: due to the live nature of the Emergency Shelter Database, the cohort representations may change over time as repeated files are merged. Age Of the 1,198 applicants who used an emergency shelter in 2017, 25% (302) were between the ages of 16 and 24, and 25% (300) were between the ages of 25 and 34. The average age for 2017 was 36. The oldest applicant was 81 years old. The youngest applicant was 16 years old. 6

7 Figure 3: Age of Applicants in Simcoe County, % 25% 22% 16% 1 8% 4% n=1, Age Groups Gender The majority of applicants were male 61% (732), and females made up the remaining 39% (466). Citizenship Status 61% 39% A large majority of applicants (99.2% or 1,188) identified themselves as a Canadian Citizen. A small portion of applicants identified as a Landed Immigrant, Visitor or other. Native Status Card 6% (66) of the applicants self-identified as having a Native Status card. Language A large majority of applicants (99.7% or 1,194) selected English as their primary language. A small percentage of applicants selected French or Turkish. 7

Area Coming From Figure 4: Locations of Applicants, 2017 67% (801) applicants identified as coming from one of the more urban areas within Simcoe County including Barrie, Orillia, and Collingwood.

The remaining 23% of applicants either came from a more rural area, did not provide a response, or came from an area outside of Simcoe County.

8 Area Coming From Figure 4: Locations of Applicants, % (801) applicants identified as coming from one of the more urban areas within Simcoe County including Barrie, Orillia, and Collingwood. 1 (122) applicants reported coming from a more rural area of Simcoe County including Midland, Alliston and Bradford. The remaining 23% of applicants either came from a more rural area, did not provide a response, or came from an area outside of Simcoe County. **Suppressed due to the low number of applicants Marital Status The majority of applicants were single (75% or 895). The next largest group was common-law representing 12% (141) of applicants. 10 Figure 5: Marital Status of Applicants, % 6 12% 7% 3% 3% 1% Single Common Law Separated Married Divorced Widowed Marital Status n=1,198 8

9 Family Structure Figure 6: Family Structure of Applicants, 2017 Of the 1,198 applicants, 18% (220) entered the shelter system with a family. Of the 220 applicants that entered with a family, 7 (155) of them entered with children. Non- Family, 82% (978) Family, 18% (220) 7 (155) 3 (65) n=1,198 Non-Family Without Children With Children Income Approximately half of the 1,198 applicants (5, or 597) indicated they received a monthly source of income. The average income for the applicants with income was $ The most common monthly income for applicants with income was between $1000 and $1499, representing 34% (205) of applicants. The second most common monthly income for applicants with income was between $500 to $999, representing 28% (168) of applicants. 5 Figure 7: Monthly Income of Applicants, % 34% 14% 12% 1 6% 6% n=597 $1 to $499 $500 to $999 $1,000 to $1,499 $1,500 to $1,999 $2,000 to $2,499 $2,

10 Discharge from Facilities Figure 8: Facility Type, 2017 Facility Type Of the 1,198 total applicants, 14% (165) indicated that they had recently been released from a facility. Of those 165 applicants: 79% (130) came from a correctional facility 13% (21) came from a hospital 8% (14) came from an addiction treatment center Addictions Treatment Centre 8% (14) Hospital 13% (21) n=165 Correctional Facility 79% (130) Facility Name The facility with the largest representation was Central North Correctional Centre (CNCC) in Penetanguishene with 75% (124) of those who indicated they had recently been released from a facility, followed by Orillia Soldiers Memorial, with 6% (10). The other category represents facilities reported less than 4 times. Facilities such as youth shelters, women's shelters, mental health and addictions treatment centres, and hospitals are represented in the other category. Figure 9: Facility Name, 2017 Central North Correctional Centre (Penetanguishene) 75% Other* 9% Orillia Soldiers Memorial Hospital Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre - Detox Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre n=165 6% 5% 4% *Other represents facilities reported less than 4 times. 10

11 SHELTER UTILIZATION Applicant Length of Stay The average number of days stayed at a shelter in 2017 was This was 1.6 days higher than in 2016, 2.6 day higher than in 2015 and 4.6 days higher than in Figure 10: Average Number of Days Stayed by Applicants, Year Average Number of Days Stayed The data indicated 3% (33) of applicants stayed for zero days. This represents those who completed intake but did not stay overnight. Of the applicants who stayed more than 0 days, 13% (150) stayed for only a single day and (469) stayed between 1 to 5 days. The total number of nights spent in emergency shelters for all households in 2017 was 30,824. This number has increased from 27,342 in 2016 and 26,823 in Figure 11: Number of Days Stayed by Applicants, % 1 1 6% 4% 3% n=1165* # of days stayed *Does not include applicants who stayed for 0 days 11

12 Length of Stay: Families and Lone Applicants The average number of days stayed in 2017 for families was 17.6 days, compared to 19.2 days for lone-applicants. 32% (67) of families stayed between 1 to 5 days, 18% (38) stayed between 6 to 10 days and (42) stayed between 11 to 15 days. 42% (402) of lone-applicants stayed between 1 to 5 days, 16% (151) stayed between 6 to 10 days, while 21% (203) stayed 31 days or over. Overall, lone-applicants had longer lengths of stay than families. This finding differs from the 2016 and 2015 findings. 5 3 Figure 12: Length of Stay for Families and Lone-Applicants, % 32% 18% 21% 16% 16% 1 8% 8% 6% 4% 4% 3% 3% # of days stayed Families n=211 Lone Applicants n=954 n=1165* *Does not include applicants who stayed for 0 days Applicants per Month The number of applicants per month ranged between 69 in December and 140 in January. An average of approximately 100 applicants per month would be expected based on the total number of applicants (1,198). January had the highest number of applicants (140), followed by May and August (112), March and September (111). April and December had the fewest number of applicants, (76) and (69). The number of youth (16-24) applicants per month ranged between 15 in December and 37 in February. An average of approximately 25 youth applicants per month would be expected based on the total number of youth applicants (302). February had the highest number of youth applicants (37) and March, June and December had the fewest number of youth applicants with, 20, 20 and 15 respectively. 12

13 # of Applicants per Month Figure 13: Number of All Applications and Youth (16-24 years) Applicants per Month, Youth (16-24) n=302 All applicants n=1198 Shelter Use by Type Of the1,198 total applicants, the majority (6 or 716), stayed in an emergency shelter, while (482) of the applicants were supported by the motel voucher program. The percentage of applicants using the motel voucher program has been steadly increasing since Figure 14: Shelter Type, 2017 Applicants Applicants who stayed who stayed Year at a Shelter at a Motel (% and #) (% and #) % (895) 28% (344) % (949) 26% (340) % (827) 28% (322) % (771) 32% (370) % (733) 33% (369) (716) (482) Shelter and Motel Use by Name The shelter with the largest number of applicants in 2017 was Salvation Army Barrie Bayside Shelter with 17% (205) of applicants, followed by the Lighthouse Christian Centre located in Orillia with 14% (169) and Youth Haven with 14% (167) of the applicants. 13

14 Figure 15: Shelter Name, 2017 Salvation Army Barrie Bayside - Shelter Lighthouse Christian Center Youth Haven Elizabeth Fry Society Salvation Army - Motel Voucher Orillia Salvation Army - Motel Voucher Collingwood Community Reach - Motel Voucher Midland Salvation Army Barrie Bayside - Motel Victim Crisis - Motel Voucher Orillia Rosewood CONTACT - South Simcoe Motel Voucher 7% 5% 2% 1% 1% 17% 14% 14% 13% 13% 12% n=1, Reason for Shelter Use The most common reason applicants reported for staying in the shelter were grouped into themes based on verbatim comments from applicants using a one to one approach. This means each applicant verbatim comments was categorized into one theme that best represented the main reason for their stay. The most common reason for applicant stays was eviction ( or 483), followed by transient ( or 244) and facility (16% or 190). Eviction Transient Facility Homeless Abuse Health/Safety Stranded Addiction Family/Relationship Personal/Legal Other* Financial Employment/Education Figure 16: Applicants Reasons for Staying, % 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 7% 6% n=1, *Other responses included unknown and not disclosed responses as well as responses that were not clear enough to categorize into another category. 16% 14

15 Extended Stay Requests The length of extended stay differs between shelters and motels. An extended stay in a shelter is over 30 days, while in motels it is over 7 days. Shelters (refer to Figure 17): 201 applicants received a stay extension and stayed for longer than 30 days. The distribution of applicants who stayed over 30 days at a shelter varied between 31 to over 81 days. The longest stay was 192 days. Motels (refer to Figure 18): A total of 175 applicants who stayed at a motel in 2017 received a stay extension and stayed longer than the 7 day period. Applicants who stayed over 7 days at a motel most commonly stayed between 8 to 14 days (49%), with the longest stay recorded as 121 days. 5 Figure 17: Shelter Extended Stays, 2017 Figure 18: Motel Extended Stays, % % 12% 15% 1 19% % 9% 6% 3% 11% n= to to to to to # of days stayed n=175 8 to to to to to # of days stayed Recidivism A recidivism rate describes the portion of applicants who stayed at a shelter and subsequently returned to either the same shelter or another shelter in Simcoe County the following year. Specifically, this analysis aims to understand applicants who stayed in a shelter at any point in 2016, and then returned in 2017 for additional stay(s). Of the 1,102 applicants that stayed at a shelter in 2016, 216 returned in 2017, which is a recidivism rate of 19.6%. Of the 216 applicants that returned to use a shelter in 2017, 58% (126) returned to the same shelter, while 42% (90) stayed at a different shelter(s). 15

16 The age of applicants who stayed at the same shelter in 2016 and 2017 was fairly evenly distributed between (22% or 28), (25% or 31) and (25% or 31). The most applicants who stayed at different shelters in 2016 and 2017 were between (34% or 31) followed by (26% or 23). 5 Figure 19: Recidivism Rate by Age Group, n=216 34% 22% 25% 26% 25% 16% 18% 1 9% 1 4% 2% Same Shelter n=126 Different Shelters n=90 *Note: due to the live nature of the Emergency Shelter Database, the cohort representations may change over time as repeated files are merged. 16

17 Summary Applicants who used the emergency shelter system in 2017 were primarily: Between the age of 16 to 24 (25%) and 25 to 34 (25%) Male (61%) Canadian Citizens (99.2%) English Speaking (99.7%) Single (75%) Not accompanied by family or children (82%) Had little or no income (less than $1000 per month) (42%) Of the 220 (18%) applicants who entered into the shelter system with families, the majority (7) had children. Most applicants came from the Barrie area (35%) and stayed in shelters in Barrie. Of the 165 (14%) applicants who came from a facility, it was most commonly a correctional facility (79%). The most commonly mentioned facility applicants came from was Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene (75%). More applicants stayed at shelters (6) than motels (). The Salvation Army, Barrie Bayside had the highest amount of applicants stay (17%) followed by Lighthouse Christian Center (14%) and Youth Haven (14%). The average length of stay, was approximately 18.9 days. This is an increase from both the average lengths of stays in 2016 (17.3 days) and 2015 (16.3 days). Overall, loneapplicants had longer average length of stay (19.2 days) than families (17.9 days). Of the 1,165 applicants that stayed overnight, most applicants stayed 1 to 5 days (), with the longest stay recorded for motels as 121 days and 192 days for shelters. The most frequent reasons applicants stayed in the shelter system was due to eviction (), transient () and homelessness (16%). The recidivism rate of applicants that stayed at a shelter in 2016 and returned in 2017, was 19.6%. 17

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