According to data from Statistics Canada, the homeless population in Canada is smaller than previously estimated. . Homeless in EdmontonHomeless encampment at Edmonton park .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the recent Census count of individuals residing in shelters showed the number is now less than half of what it was in 2016..“The Census is not an adequate tool to frequently enumerate the homeless population,” said a StatsCan report A Review of Canadian Homelessness Data 2023. .“However, the Census enumerates the homeless population in shelters across the country in real-time.”.The 2021 Census counted 9,275 shelter occupants, mainly in Ontario (4,060 people) and British Columbia (2,595). The 2016 Census counted more than twice as many residents in shelters nationwide, a total of 22,190 people..“The Census is an enumeration on one specific day every five years,” said Canadian Homelessness. .“As a result, it will not measure those who were in shelters at other times of the year and does not represent the total number of homeless people.”.Researchers said a “best guess” of data drawn from research dating back a decade counted about 25,000 homeless, an estimate “frequently referenced in numerous publications regarding homelessness,” said StatsCan. .According to a study Ethnography of Homeless and Housing Insecure Canadians’ Experiences Filing Taxes and Accessing Benefits done in 2018, the Canada Revenue Agency identified 35,000 individuals who were homeless, along with an additional 50,000 individuals who “on any given night are often temporarily living with family or friends.”.According to the department of Veterans Affairs, which administers an Emergency Fund providing $2,500 grants to homeless veterans, it was estimated on May 3 a small percentage of less than .5% of veterans are experiencing homelessness..“The estimated overall number of shelter users, including veterans has declined,” the department wrote in a submission to the Senate National Finance committee..Out of the nationwide count of 461,235 veterans, the department found approximately 1,905 to 2,400 veterans used shelters or roughly .5% of the total veteran population..“Some people who experience homelessness do not access shelters,” wrote staff..According to StatsCan, accurately determining the national homeless count was difficult..“Homeless people rarely have a fixed address, therefore are difficult to count and are often outside the scope of surveys,” said Canadian Homelessness. .“This also makes them difficult to identify in administrative data.”.StatsCan said it was attempting to make an accurate count using its General Social Surveys and a biennial Canadian Housing Survey of 65,000 households that asks, “Have you ever had to temporarily live with family or friends or anywhere else because you had nowhere else to live?” and “Have you ever been homeless, that is, having to live in a homeless shelter, on the street or in parks, in a makeshift shelter or abandoned building?”
