Homelessness data snapshot: The National Shelter Study 2019 update
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Introduction
The National Shelter Study is an ongoing analysis of trends in homelessness shelter use in Canada. It includes estimates of the number of emergency shelter users and their demographics. The study covers the period from 2005 to 2019 and uses data collected by:
- The Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS), and
- Provincial and municipal partners that have data sharing agreements with the Government of Canada
It is important to note that the following results predate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data
Data are from 251 emergency shelters across Canada, over half of all emergency shelters in 2019.Footnote 1 The study sample includes most of Canada's largest shelters and constitutes 75.5% of the country's total 15,599 emergency shelter beds in 2019. The study methodology take into account people who use more than one shelter. Domestic violence shelters, temporary shelters and transitional housing are not included in the analysis.
Research findings
Extent of shelter use
In 2019, an estimated 118,759 people experienced homelessness at an emergency shelter. On an average night, there were approximately 14,400 people staying in shelters. Compared to 2018, there were 4,155 fewer shelter users. Since 2005 there has been an estimated 23.9% decrease in the number of shelter users (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. Number of shelter users from 2005 to 2019
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Figure 1 - Text version
Figure 1. Number of shelter users from 2005 to 2019
Year Number of shelter users 2005 156,030 2006 150,663 2007 146,884 2008 151,621 2009 146,726 2010 141,854 2011 137,415 2012 141,405 2013 134,262 2014 136,866 2015 132,511 2016 129,127 2017 129,017 2018 122,914 2019 118,759
Though the total number of shelter users has decreased gradually since 2005, demand for shelter beds is still high relative to capacity (see Figure 2). This may be due to longer shelter stays. The proportion of people staying in shelter for 31 days and over has increased by 72.2% since 2005. The average nightly occupancy among all shelters in 2019 was 92.3%, with family shelters operating at 104.2% occupancy.
Figure 2. Occupancy rate by shelter type from 2005 to 2019
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Figure 2 - Text version
Figure 2. Occupancy rate by shelter type from 2005 to 2019
Year Occupancy rate by shelter type (in percentage) Youth General Family 2005 88.2 85.0 67.3 2006 72.9 85.6 70.0 2007 85.5 80.1 69.5 2008 85.5 85.7 85.7 2009 97.2 90.7 114.2 2010 77.3 85.4 76.3 2011 81.3 87.8 82.4 2012 87.8 92.8 90.1 2013 82.0 92.8 89.4 2014 83.3 94.9 86.3 2015 81.0 94.0 85.7 2016 85.5 92.9 85.7 2017 89.0 91.1 95.8 2018 85.7 95.6 98.5 2019 73.4 92.5 104.2
Demographics
The age distribution of the shelter-using population remained stable compared to preceding years. The majority of shelter users were adults (56.3%, aged 25 to 49), followed by older adults (21.4%, aged 50 to 64) and youth (13.9%, aged 13 to 24). The average age among all shelter users was 40.3 years.
The gender distribution of shelter users has not varied considerably since 2005. In 2019, 69.7% of shelter users were male, 29.7% were female, and 0.7% identified as a gender other than male or female.
Figure 3. Gender distribution by age group in 2019
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Figure 3 - Text version
Figure 3. Gender distribution by age group in 2019
Age group Percentage male Percentage female Seniors (65+) 74.6 25.3 Older adults (50-64) 76.4 23.4 Adults (25-49) 68.3 31.0 Youth (13-24) unaccompanied 60.7 37.5 Children (0-16) accompanied 51.6 48.3
Indigenous peoples were overrepresented in Canada's emergency shelters in 2019. Indigenous peoples make up 4.9% of the Canadian population according to the 2016 census. In contrast, the percentage of shelter users reporting Indigenous ancestry in 2019 was approximately 30.5% (see Figure 4).
Figure 4. Proportion of shelter-using population and general population by Indigenous status in 2019
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Figure 4 - Text version
Figure 4. Proportion of shelter-using population and general population by Indigenous status in 2019
Population Non-Indigenous (in percentage) Indigenous (in percentage) General population 95.1 4.9 Shelter users 70.0 30.0
1.6% of shelter users, an estimated 1,905 people, reported having served in the military or the RCMP. This is a 35.4% reduction in number of veterans in shelter since 2014. Among male shelters users, 2.0% were veterans, and among female shelter users, that proportion was 0.6%. The average age of a veteran shelter user was 48.2 years of age, compared to 38.7 for non-veteran shelter users.
86.7% of shelter users were Canadian citizens. In 2019, the number of refugees and refugee claimants in the shelter system was four times larger than it was in 2014, when citizenship data was first collected. However, this may underestimate the number of refugees accessing emergency shelters, as comparable data are not available from some communities with higher incidences of refugee homelessness.
Chronic homelessness among shelter users
In 2019, data from a subset of 16 communities were used to estimate chronic homelessness in Canada. The communities ranged in population size from less than 50,000 to over three million. The sample included 54,762 shelter users, accounting for just under half of the total estimated shelter users for 2019. Shelter users are considered chronically homeless if they experienced homelessness in emergency shelters, and:
- used a shelter for 6 months (180 days) or more in the past year, and/or
- had shelter stays in each of the last 3 years.
In 2019, 25.2% of shelter users in the sample met the criteria for experiencing chronic homelessness. At the national level, an estimated 29,927 shelter users experienced chronic homelessness in 2019, which was more than in 2018 (27,289).
Key findings
- The number of people accessing emergency shelter decreased in 2019 but demand for shelter beds remained high.
- The majority of shelter users were adults, and were predominantly male. The average age of shelter users was 40.3 years.
- Indigenous peoples were overrepresented among shelter users.
- The proportion of shelter users who identified as refugees and refugee claimants has been increasing since 2014.
- 1.6% of shelter users, an estimated 1,905 people, reported having served in the military or the RCMP. This is a 35.4% reduction in number of veterans in shelter since 2014.
- An estimated 29,927 shelter users experienced chronic homelessness in 2019.
For more information
To find out more about homelessness research, visit the Data analysis, reports and publications page.
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