{
  "id": 14898805,
  "title": "Database issues cloud city homeless numbers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/database-issues-cloud-city-homeless-numbers",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-16T07:00:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/10/16/database-issues-cloud-city-homeless-numbers"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "End Homelessness Winnipeg, an organization fighting homelessness in the city, has expressed serious doubts about the accuracy of the city's homeless population numbers due to issues with the federal system that tracks those figures. Jennifer Rattray, the CEO of the organization, stated that she lacks confidence in the data, citing problems with the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS) used for counting people who access homelessness services.\n\nThe head of End Homelessness Winnipeg reported that as of March, the number of chronically homeless Winnipeggers had dropped to 436 from around 4,400. This reduction was attributed to efforts to fix the flawed database. Rattray acknowledged that the figure was preliminary and not final, but hoped it would be the ultimate number once the data issue was resolved. She emphasized that fewer people being chronically unsheltered would be better.\n\nRattray explained that the database captures only a portion of Winnipeg's homeless population, as not all front-line organizations use it. Some shelters have started moving towards Mozaics, which is considered more user-friendly and better suited for their needs. The database also has limitations when it comes to tracking youth experiencing homelessness.\n\nMarion Willis, the executive director of St. Boniface Street Links, challenged End Homelessness Winnipeg's estimate of over 8,000 people being homeless months ago. Willis estimates the homeless population at between 700 and 1,200 people, saying the numbers have never been accurate since day one. She believes the controversy surrounding the data issues exposes a larger problem with the federal Reaching Home funding model, arguing it puts too much emphasis on homeless numbers instead of people who have been placed into housing.",
  "summary": "The head of End Homelessness Winnipeg says she has no confidence in data about the city’s homeless population due to problems with the federal system that tracks those numbers. Jennifer […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}