City reports roughly 1,400 people experiencing homelessness; staff previews strategic framework

Community safety staff presented the Homeless Services Advisory Committee annual report and answered public questions about counts and outreach. A resident, Victoria Peterson, asked how many people are considered homeless and whether outreach teams visit camps; staff responded with the city’s current best estimates and described outreach activity.

Community Safety (speaker 17) said the best numbers indicate about 1,400 people in Durham are experiencing homelessness, including about 650 households that are unsheltered. The department noted multiple subpopulations are included in that figure (families, medically vulnerable people, youth) and pointed council and the public to a newly released public-facing dashboard with disaggregated data and trend charts. The department added that a street outreach effort has reached between 150 and 200 people and successfully placed about 15–20 into housing in recent months; during two winter storms the city helped more than 200 people into shelter who otherwise would not have been protected from the weather.

Staff also said a homelessness strategic framework will be presented to council next week, outlining approaches sourced from community feedback, national best practices and people with lived experience. Council members thanked staff and urged continued emphasis on coordination and data transparency.

What happens next: staff will present the strategic framework next week and continue to publish dashboard data and learning reports from HSAC for public review.