Canada’s housing agency says evictions are rarely the direct cause of homelessness, despite federal pressure to expand taxpayer-funded legal aid for tenants.A Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) report released this week found that only a small number of renters who lose their homes end up without shelter.“Most people who are evicted don’t experience homelessness,” analysts wrote, though they acknowledged some cases show an increased risk.The study said 7% of Canadians have experienced eviction at some point in their lives. .Among people who have been homeless, 28% also reported an eviction in their past. In 2021, 19% of evicted households said they were forced into “hidden homelessness” — temporarily staying with family or friends — while only a very small % ended up in shelters or sleeping outdoors.The report stressed that other factors such as mental health issues and addictions play a much larger role in homelessness. Just 5% of frequent shelter users cited eviction as the reason they lost housing.The findings contrast with recommendations from federal Housing Advocate Marie-Josée Houle, who has urged Parliament to spend on free lawyers for tenants fighting evictions and called forced removals that result in homelessness a “gross violation” of human rights. Houle has also proposed a nationwide ban on clearing tent encampments from Crown land.
