Officials with the social services board in the Kenora area say a homeless count underway in the western part of northwestern Ontario is the first such effort district-wide.

The initiative is mandated by the province, according to Henry Wall, the chief administrative officer with the Kenora District Services Board, but he added that it's a great opportunity to learn more about the reasons people are homeless in smaller communities.

A previous count done exclusively in Sioux Lookout uncovered some useful information, he said.

"Nearly 40 per cent of all individuals in that community, it was judicial or medical services that was given as a reason," he said. "In other words, they were in the community to access those services, and so that was a big eye-opener for us."

Henry Wall is the CAO of the Kenora District Services Board. (KDSB.on.ca) That information was used to construct a 20-unit supportive housing unit in Sioux Lookout which is set to open soon, Wall said, adding that the decision to go ahead with that housing project came from officials recognizing the need for better supports to help those transferring from one service to another.

"Those who are chronically homeless in Sioux Lookout need a home but they also need a home where there are proper supports around the clock," Wall said.

The current district-wide homeless count started Apr. 30 in Ignace and is scheduled to run through Pickle Lake, Machin, Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls, Kenora, Sioux Lookout, Ear Falls, Red Lake and Dryden. It's designed to help Ontario and local governments better understand the scale and nature of homelessness to try and reduce it, the social services board said in a written release.

The province is putting a priority on collecting data on how frequently people become homeless and the reasons why.

"By doing this ... we also wanted to get an understanding in terms of 'what's the reality for many of our communities,'" Wall said.