The following report about homelessness in Canada is attracting attention within the Society of St. Vincent dePaul. It probably should receive similar attention by all concerned with homelessness in whatever country.

The State of Homelessness in Canada: 2013 (pdf) is the first extensive evidence-based Canadian report card on homelessness.

This report examines what we know about homelessness, the historical, social and economic context in which it has emerged, demographic features of the problem, and potential solutions. The State of Homelessness provides a starting point to inform the development of a consistent, evidence-based approach towards ending homelessness.

Our goal in developing this report was to both assess the breadth of the problem and to develop a methodology for national measurement. We believe that homelessness is not a given and that not just reducing, but ending, the crisis is achievable.

The information for the State of Homelessness in Canada report has been compiled by the Canadian Homelessness Research Network (Homeless Hub) and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness from the best available research to date. Because we lack strong data on homelessness in Canada, our estimates of the scale of the problem are just that: an estimate, but they represent an important starting point.

As the first national report card on homelessness, the evaluation of the response to homelessness by Canada’s homeless sector provides an important means of benchmarking progress toward ending homelessness.

Overview

1 Introduction 10

2 The context 12

2.1 What is homelessness? 12

2.2 The CAUSES of homelessness 13

2.3 Homelessness as a problem 14

2.4 People at risk of homelessness 16

2.5 Conclusion 20

3 The current situation: homelessness in Canada 21

4 Responding to homelessness – how are we doing? 30

5 Recommendations 38

Thanks to  William Graham,PresidentSociety of St. Vincent de PaulPeel North Particular Council for drawing attention to this report.