Toronto

More people are sleeping on Toronto’s streets and around 16% of them say they’ve served in the Canadian military.

The City of Toronto released an interim report of its 2013 Street Needs Assessment on Wednesday.

While the April 17 survey found the homeless population has stayed almost the same — only increasing 1% — it also found a 24% increase in the number of people living outdoors.

To gather the data city staff and volunteers administered a 13-question survey to people outdoors and in emergency shelters, hospitals and correctional facilities. It’s the third time the city has conducted a citywide count of the homeless.

In all, city officials estimate around 447 people live outdoors in Toronto — that’s up by 24% from the 2009 survey but down 39.1% from the 2006 survey.

Almost 40% of all those surveyed on April 17 said they had spent at least one night sleeping on the street in the last six months.

Among those sleeping rough, the study found they have been homeless for an average of 7.5 years, around a third said they were aboriginal and 16% said they had served in the Canadian military.

The study also found around 20% of the homeless youth surveyed said they were part of the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and two-spirited (LGBQT) community.

Mayor Rob Ford said he hadn’t had a chance to read the report yet.

“What I quickly got briefed on this morning, I understand it has gone up,” Ford said.

“It’s unfortunate (that more people are sleeping on the streets). We have to get these people off the streets and get them the help they need be it if it is drugs, alcohol, mental illness — we have to get them the help they need so we have to do this.”

A full report on Toronto’s homeless survey will come to the community development and recreation committee in September.