The city of Kamloops will see the first ever youth-led youth homelessness count in Canada next May.

A Way Home Kamloops Peer Navigator Kira Cheeseborough says this count – which is being funded by the RBC Foundation – will be led by youth with lived experience as she says youth homelessness is very different from adult homelessness.

“Its much more hidden in nature. This year by having young people leading the count, its providing a very unique opportunity to have that expertise central to knowing how to identity the young people who may be falling trough the gaps,” she said on NL Newsday.

“We are conducting interviews to hire the five youth advisors, after which we will be working with them to start developing the content of the survey as well as the logistics behind the count. We’ll be working with those young people to utilize their lived expertise.”

Executive Director Katherine McParland says she is looking forward to next year’s count being led by young people.

“A young person may be homeless today and have housing another day. So it really requires us to look at the young people that have lived expertise to help lead the count and to create a safe space for young people to feel safe coming forward and sharing their stories in order to create change and solutions in our communities,” she added.

A Youth Homelessness count in May 2018 found 136 people who experienced homelessness in Kamloops, an increase of seven from a similar count in 2016.