Renfrew health teams survey Pembroke, Ont. homeless population

As the homeless population in Renfrew County hits record numbers, Renfrew County paramedics and the region's health unit are seeking out the homeless community to understand the depth of the situation on their own turf.

On Friday, a team of paramedics and Renfrew County and District Health Unit workers travelled along the Algonquin Trail in Pembroke to find homeless individuals who are often unseen by the public and map out their encampments.

"We're trying to understand what their situation is like, what the barriers are there for them to get the help that they need," community paramedic Chris Day explained.

"We want to have an understanding of where they're located. If we get a 9-1-1 call to the area, we're familiar with it."

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It is a routine the paramedic service says it undertakes once a month. However, for the first time, the health unit joined the trip to survey those experiencing homelessness.

"If we can best determine where we can find these folks, the outreach that we're going to be able to provide will better serve those who are currently without a home," said health promoter Avery Prince with the Renfrew County Health Unit.

Unlike larger cities, shelters for individuals experiencing homelessness are not found in back alleys or on city streets. In Pembroke, and rural Renfrew County, many find shelter in wooded areas and behind tall brush.

"Homelessness is not just the big tent cities that we see in some of the more urban centres like Ottawa, Toronto, things like that," Day says.

"It can be just ones out in the bush. It can be maybe two or three tents together. That community does tend to look after each other."

At The Grind in Pembroke, the county's only community kitchen, staff say they are seeing a record number of clients accessing their services.

"We're seeing almost double the numbers that we had at this time last year," says Tina Spurrell, The Grind's office manager.

"Now we're at 44 people that we currently know of and support on pretty much a daily basis."

One of those frequent clients is Robyn, who has been in Pembroke for seven years, and is currently experiencing homelessness.

"I still go out and panhandle to get what I need for my daily things," she told CTV News.

"I come here to eat every day at The Grind. I get clothes here from The Grind if need be."

Robyn says outside of the community kitchen, there are not many supports in Pembroke for the homeless.

And there is a push from both sides to one day see a shelter open in Renfrew County.

"In a place like this, there needs to be more," says Robyn. "You have to let us have a place where we can gather and have coffee."

"There are no shelters in the Renfrew County, so the closest shelters are Ottawa or North Bay," said Spurrell.

"The County of Renfrew is the largest county in the province of Ontario. There are homeless people everywhere. And we're just touching the tip of the iceberg."