What the By-Name List is

The By-Name List is a real-time, person-specific dataset generated from HIFIS. It includes people experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg who have had contact with a participating homelessness-serving agency within the past 90 days, such as shelters, outreach teams, housing programs, and some drop-in centres.

HIFIS is the shared data system used by most homelessness-serving agencies across the city. It allows information to be recorded in a consistent way and supports coordinated service delivery. The BNL is one of its most important outputs.

Because it is updated regularly, the BNL allows us to track changes over time, including how many people are entering homelessness, how many are being housed, and where pressures in the system are increasing. It is used to support Coordinated Access and to prioritize people for housing and supports.

What the By-Name List is not

The BNL does not capture everyone experiencing homelessness in Winnipeg. It only includes consenting individuals whose information has been entered into HIFIS by participating homelessness-serving agencies.

It is not a one-time count, and it should not be read as a full measure of total homelessness in Winnipeg. Some people either do not consent to their information being shared or remain outside of formal services and are not reflected in the data.

How it differs from the Point-in-Time Count

The Point-in-Time Count is a short-term count, typically conducted over 24 to 48 hours, using surveys and outreach to estimate how many people are experiencing homelessness at a given moment.

The By-Name List serves a different function.

• The Point-in-Time Count is periodic and survey-based.
• The BNL is ongoing and based on real-time data from HIFIS.

While the Point-in-Time Count helps us understand scale and demographics at a moment in time, the BNL supports ongoing system coordination. It shows movement, trends, and outcomes, and helps ensure people are connected to the right supports as quickly as possible.

Why the BNL is important

Each number in the BNL report reflects a person. The report helps us stay grounded in that reality while also giving us the information needed to respond with focus and coordination.

Used alongside other tools, HIFIS and the By-Name List strengthen how we plan, how we act, and how we measure progress toward ending chronic homelessness in Winnipeg.