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Niagara officials are getting a better picture of homelessness in the Niagara area. Over 90 volunteers scoured city streets and bridges talking to the homeless today conducting surveys in an effort to measure homelessness on a Canadian-wide scale.

Similar counts were done across the country, including one in Hamilton earlier this year where over 500 homeless people were surveyed and the results revealed one of the biggest issues in Hamilton was the lack of affordable housing.

20 agencies including the YWCA of Niagara were counting the number of people who use their shelters. Niagara Region says roughly 800 to a thousand people use shelters across Niagara.

Elisabeth Zimmermann from the YWCA says while the survey will give a better understanding of the issue of homelessness in the area, the initiative will not include Niagara’s hidden homeless. If that was included she says the number of homeless in Niagara could double or even triple.