We need to remember that what most of us think as homeless (ie campers) and what the survey counts as homeless are two different things.
If you do not have a permanent place to live of your own then the survey considers you homeless. Living with a friend, being in treatment, living in a halfway or transition house, etc, etc are all counted as homeless. Campers represent about 10% (or less) of the 'homeless' counted. This is by design. The count is done at night in the dark so volunteers are not wandering into parks or other unlit areas looking for people in tents to survey.
What most people are concerned about are the people moving here and living on the streets and in parks, not those living with their buddies.
If you look at the report, about 150 people were counted as living rough and about 240 people have been here less than a year. It is quite possible then that the majority of the campers are new to Victoria.
I would argue that the reason why the PIT count folks refuse to release their data and report the way they do is to hide that fact.
it also counts people in jail as homeless. or at least those in jail that say they have no home to go to upon release.
Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 August 2020 - 09:19 AM.