York Region’s 2021 homeless count, I Count 2021, was conducted June 1 and 2, 2021. As part of the Point-in-Time (PiT) count, homelessness services sector staff across York Region conducted a count and voluntary survey of people in emergency housing (shelters), COVID-19 transitional shelters, Violence Against Women (VAW) shelters, transitional housing, substance use beds, and people living outdoors. A PiT count provides a snapshot of people experiencing homelessness over a single 24-hour period. It focuses on people staying in sheltered and unsheltered conditions.

I Count 2021 was the third PiT count for York Region. Previous counts were conducted in 2016 and 2018. The 2021 count was a requirement of both the federal and provincial governments. The count was conducted as a partnership between United Way Greater Toronto, in its role of overseeing Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, and The Regional Municipality of York (the Region), in its role as the provincially designated Service System Manager for housing and homelessness.