Help count, help change: Volunteer for the 2025 Quebec homelessness survey

The MUHC is joining its health network partners to promote the 2025 Quebec Visible Homeless Point-in-time Count. Taking place on April 15, 2025, and the following days, it is a key tool used to document homelessness.  

In Montreal, more than 1,200 volunteers are needed.  

Volunteers for the 2025 Point-in-Time Count will help:  

• Estimate the number of people experiencing visible homelessness on the evening of April 15, 2025, in public spaces or emergency shelters.
• Gather data through a short questionnaire to better understand the profile of people experiencing homelessness.

Link to register as a volunteer  

The role of volunteers in Montreal

Here are the five roles that volunteers can be called upon to play:

Volunteer surveyor – distribution of survey questionnaires at outdoor locations:

• On the night of the Point-in-Time Count, volunteer surveyors will approach individuals in order to fill out surveys with those who agree to participate.
• This role involves walking outside for approximately two hours.
• Volunteer surveyors work in teams of at least three people.

Volunteer surveyor – conduct surveys in shelters or other accommodation resources:

• On the night of the Point-in-Time Counts or in the following days, these volunteers will submit questionnaires to people at emergency shelters or other housing resources for homeless people.
• They generally work in teams, though may be alone in smaller organizations.

Volunteer surveyor – team leader:

• Team leaders will be assigned on the night of the Point-in-Time Count.
• Team leaders will also submit survey questionnaires. They will have additional responsibilities for the safety and coordination of a team of volunteers (between three and six people).

Decoy person:

• Decoys must remain in a predetermined area until approached by a surveyor team. This is a quality control strategy to assess the thoroughness of the canvassing.

Deployment centre support:  

• These individuals will provide administrative support on the night of the Point-in-Time Counts, including volunteer registration, distribution and receipt of supplies, and delivery of materials for field survey volunteers. They also offer general assistance to the deployment center coordinator.

Experience working with homeless people is not mandatory but is an asset.

All volunteers registered to take part in the count must undergo mandatory online training.

Registration support

If you have any questions about the enumeration in your area or about the registration of volunteers, please contact the volunteer coordinator at [email protected]