Time for action on homelessness in Eastern Nova Scotia: A 2024 service-based count

Abstract

The purpose of this service-based homelessness count is to understand the scope and magnitude of homelessness across six counties in eastern Nova Scotia: Antigonish County, Cape Breton County (which includes the Cape Breton Regional Municipality), Guysborough County, Inverness County, Richmond County, and Victoria County. This region is also the Eastern Zone of Nova Scotia Health. A service-based homelessness count is particularly effective at estimating the number of people experiencing homelessness in more rural areas such as this, where homelessness is sometimes hidden and where formal services (such as emergency shelters and transitional housing) may be lacking. Previous service-based counts were conducted in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in 2016 and 2018, and in all six counties in 2021.