Facts on Homelessness

If you think homelessness has boundaries, think again.

Homelessness comes in many faces and places.

In a survey, 14% of Albertans said they had experienced or come close to experiencing homelessness (The Salvation Army Poverty Report, 2010). Given the right circumstances or series of events, homelessness could happen to anyone.

Who are the homeless?

In 1992, there were 447 people living on our streets and in our shelters. In 2008, that number grew to 4,060 (The City of Calgary Homeless Count, 2008).  

Homelessness is defined as “those who do not have a permanent residence to which they can return whenever they so choose."

People experiencing or at risk of homelessness are just like you and me. The difference perhaps is circumstance or the fact that their lives have been that much more difficult.

Men, women, children, families, seniors, immigrants – all kinds of people can experience homelessness.

Who is at risk of becoming homeless?

The CHF and the City of Calgary's Social Research Unit identified 23,165 households living in extreme poverty (income less than $20,000) and spending more than 50% of their income on shelter. Of those, 13,765 were renter households, which have a significantly higher risk than homeowners, who can liquefy their assets to prevent homelessness. Other notable characteristics include:

• age - 20% under 25 years old, with most (45%) between 25 and 44 years old (working age);
• housing repairs - 10% housing was in need of major repairs;
• children - 20% had children (0.3 children/household on average);
• immigrant - recent immigrant for the primary head of household - 9.4% (1,290); and
• Aboriginal - Aboriginal head of household - 7.4% (1,030).

How do people become homeless?

While every person's entry into homelessness is different, there are similar factors that come into play. While the majority are able to end their own homelessneess within a short amount of time, others remain stuck, or become "chronically homeless." 

Factors that contribute to or protect from homelessness:

View our Sources.