City of Abbotsford to discuss tackling homelessness using GIS on Oct. 16

September 18, 2024

Esri Canada-hosted webinar will focus on the Community Homelessness Information Application (CHIA), which has transformed understanding of homelessness and coordination of outreach efforts and service delivery in Abbotsford

TORONTO—September 18, 2024—Esri Canada is pleased to announce that City of Abbotsford will be sharing its experience addressing homelessness using geographic information system (GIS) technology in a webinar on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at 1 p.m. ET. The City has developed and maintains an easy-to-use mobile GIS app called the Community Homelessness Information Application (CHIA), which has significantly improved understanding of the homelessness situation in Abbotsford and coordination of service delivery by outreach workers and service agencies across the city.

“The CHIA app is a perfect example of the ingenuity that comes out of collaboration and the desire to work together toward a common goal,” said City of Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens. “City staff, outreach workers and social service providers came together to identify the needs of those serving the most vulnerable members of our community, brainstormed ways to coordinate their efforts and our City team was able to bring those ideas to life through the creation of an app that utilizes our municipal GIS mapping and location technology. CHIA is proving to be an invaluable tool for supporting our local service providers who are supporting those experiencing homelessness in Abbotsford.”

CHIA was developed by the City’s GIS team, in collaboration with the Integrated Outreach Meeting, a City-supported group of community outreach workers who regularly meet to discuss challenges, opportunities and trends to better understand and serve people experiencing homelessness in Abbotsford. Using the City’s existing Esri ArcGIS platform, the GIS team built a mobile application that allows frontline workers to input and update data in real time related to encampments, sleeping sites, day sites and shelters to improve coordination of services and create long-term data to help advocate for more resources.

Through the mobile app, outreach workers update information on the number of people staying at identified encampments, day sites and sleeping sites and indicate what services they provided at each site. Meanwhile, shelter workers use the app to update the occupancy status of their shelter and show how many beds remain available. The app has a manager’s dashboard that provides real-time information, statistics and historical data summaries used to identify trends related to encampments, day sites and sleeping sites. It also shows the inflow and outflow of people experiencing homelessness and provides an approximate count of the total number of homeless people in Abbotsford at any given time.

"Since the launch of CHIA, outreach workers have been able to better coordinate their efforts ensuring better service coverage across the city,” said Peter Sparanese, city manager, City of Abbotsford. “They can now prioritize sites based on when the last time services were delivered, the kind of services they received, and how many people require services at each site. They also receive reports that track the sites and frequency of visits for reporting purposes, saving them valuable time. All these functions provided through this digital solution elevate how we support those experiencing homelessness and contribute to creating a better and more livable city.”

Uptake on the use of CHIA has been excellent. Since its launch in late February 2024, there have been more than 2,000 data updates made at sites, over 1,700 deliveries of resources at encampment sites and more than 1,000 deliveries of resources at day sites.

“No matter which city you live in, homelessness is a very complex issue,” says Alexander Watts, PhD, manager of public health, Esri Canada. “You need real-time data to break down that complexity, adapt to changing conditions and communicate to diverse teams where and how to allocate resources across sites. GIS helps teams understand the specific needs of each site, develop better informed plans and coordinate actions to ensure community services are delivered effectively.”

About City of Abbotsford
The City of Abbotsford was established in 1995, following the amalgamation of Matsqui and Abbotsford, to become the 5th largest municipality in British Columbia. The City of Abbotsford provides more than 160,000 residents and 7,700 businesses with municipal services, such as road maintence, drinking water, parks, recreation facilities, sewer services, building permits, development and city planning. The City of Abbotsford owns Abbotsford International Airport, which is part of the largest aerospace hub on the continent with Washington State, and is the agricultural capital of Canada. More information can be found at abbotsford.ca. Follow the City of Abbotsford on X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About Esri Canada
Founded in 1984, Esri Canada provides geographic information system (GIS) solutions that empower people in business, government, and education to make informed and timely decisions by leveraging the power of mapping and spatial analytics. These solutions enable organizations to better manage their resources, plan their future and collaborate within and beyond their organization. Esri Canada’s products and services help advance successful digital transformation. The company serves more than 14,000 organizations from 13 offices across Canada and is based in Toronto. Esri Canada has been recognized as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies for 12 consecutive years. More information can be found at esri.ca. Follow Esri Canada on X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.

For media inquiries, please contact:
City of Abbotsford
Aletta Vanderheyden
Communications and Public Relations Manager
media@abbotsford.ca

Esri Canada
Joy Chan
PR & Corporate Communications Manager
press@esri.ca