Homelessness data snapshot: Veteran homelessness in Canada

On this page

• Introduction
• Data
• Findings
• Key findings
• For more information

Introduction

As of March 2021, there were an estimated 617,800 Canadian veterans^{Footnote 1}. This represents approximately 1.7% of the population. As noted in the 2022 Budget^{Footnote 2}, addressing homelessness experienced by veterans is a priority for the Government of Canada. This report presents a snapshot of key statistics about veteran homelessness in Canada.

Data

Data used in this report come from three sources.

1. National shelter data from 2019, which includes administrative data from a sample of approximately half of the approximately 400 emergency shelters across Canada, covering over 70% of the shelter beds.^{Footnote 3} These data provide a national picture of shelter use over time.
2. The 2018 Nationally Coordinated Point-in-Time (PiT) Count^{Footnote 4} asked respondents experiencing homelessness if they had ever served in the Canadian military or RCMP. The data provide a one-day snapshot of homelessness across 61 communities in Canada. PiT Count survey respondents were experiencing homelessness in different contexts, including sheltered and unsheltered homelessness. It also includes respondents who were temporarily staying with others because they had no place of their own.
3. Veterans Affairs Canada Facts & Figures March 2020 Edition^{Footnote 5}, which includes 2019-20 data on client intake, program usage, and other spending and forecast information.

Findings

Prevalence of veteran homelessness  

During 2019, an estimated 1.6% of emergency shelter users were veterans (1,905 individuals). This estimated proportion has remained close to 2% since it was first collected in 2014 (2.3%). It is consistent with the proportion of veterans in the general Canadian population (1.7%). Over this time, the estimated overall number of shelter users, including veterans, has declined.

The total number of veterans who experience homelessness might be higher than this. Some people who experience homelessness do not access shelters. During the 2018 PiT Count, approximately 1 in 5 (21%) veterans reported not using an emergency shelter over the past year.

Demographics of veterans experiencing homelessness

A demographic analysis of the national shelter data showed that:

• veteran shelter users were more likely than non-veterans to be older (average age = 48.2 years compared to 38.6) and over-represented among those aged 50+ (48.7% compared to 24.7%)
• a great majority of veterans than non-veterans were male (87.6% compared to 70.1%)
• Indigenous and non-Indigenous shelter users were similarly likely to identify as a veteran (1.7%)

Program data from Veterans Affairs Canada (Facts & Figures, March 2020) shows that veterans receiving supports from the department tended to be older (average age = 63 years) than those accessing shelters. They were also more likely to identify as male (87.7%).

The 2018 PiT Count survey found similar demographics for veterans. Among veteran respondents, 82.9% identified as male and 34.3% as First Nations, Metis or Inuit. The median age was also 48 years. Female veterans experiencing homelessness were younger than male veterans. Approximately 72.1% of female veterans were under age 50 (compared to 51.3% of males). Among veterans who received supports from Veterans Affairs Canada, only 33.9% of women and 22.0% of men were under 50.

Reasons for housing loss among veterans

The 2018 PiT Count survey asks respondents what led to their most recent episode of homelessness. The factors reported by veterans and non-veterans were similar. However, veterans were more likely to cite an illness or medical condition as a contributing factor. Other factors were mentioned less frequently by veterans, such as addiction or substance use, and abuse by partner. Some of these differences may be due to the higher average age and greater percentage of men among veterans relative to non-veterans.

• Figure 1 - Text version

  Figure 1: Reasons for homelessness cited by veterans and non-veterans, PiT Count 2018 (n=596 veteran respondents and 12,613 non-veteran respondents)

  Reason for housing loss	Veteran	Non-Veteran
  Addiction or substance use	19.3%	25.4%
  Unable to pay rent/mortgage	15.6%	19.2%
  Illness or medical condition	15.6%	10.9%
  Job loss	14.6%	13.7%
  Conflict with spouse or partner	14.1%	14.5%
  Unsafe housing conditions	11.1%	9.9%
  Incarcerated	6.9%	9.0%
  Hospitalization or treatment	4.4%	4.0%
  Abuse by spouse or partner	4.0%	8.9%
  Conflict with parent or guardian	3.7%	10.4%
  Abuse by parent or guardian	2.5%	5.1%

Age of first homeless experience among veterans

The PiT Count survey asks respondents at what age they first experienced homelessness. Similar to non-veterans, about 1 in 2 of veterans first experienced homelessness as a child, teen or youth (47.6% of veterans vs 50.4% of non-veterans). Yet among adult and older adult respondents^{Footnote 6}, veterans were more likely to report experiencing homelessness as a child or teen (i.e. a first experience of homelessness under the age of 18; see Figure 2).

• Figure 2 - Text version

  Figure 2: Age of first experience of homelessness for adult and older adult veterans and non-veterans, PiT Count 2018 (n=729 veteran respondents and 14,770 non-veteran respondents)

  Age of first experience of homelessness	Adults (25 – 49)		Older Adults (50 – 64)
  	Veteran	Non-Veteran	Veteran	Non-Veteran
  Under 18	37.9%	29.3%	25.5%	17.0%
  18 to 49	62.2%	70.8%	43.6%	42.6%
  50 and over	N/A	N/A	30.9%	40.5%

Duration and episodes of homelessness among veterans

The 2018 PiT Count survey asks how long and how many different times respondents experienced homelessness over the past year. Almost half of veterans had been experiencing homelessness for the entire year (46.8%). In comparison, 39.4% of non-veterans reported homelessness over the entire year.

• Figure 3 - Text version

  Figure 3: Number of months of homelessness experienced by veterans and non-veterans over the past year, PiT Count 2018 (n=786 veteran respondents and 15,944 non-veteran respondents)

  Number of months experiencing homelessness over the past year	Veteran	Non-Veteran
  0-2 months	18.8%	22.6%
  3-5 months	15.3%	16.5%
  6 months – less than 1 year	19.1%	21.6%
  1 year	46.8%	39.4%

Veterans and non-veterans reported similar patterns of homelessness over the past year. The majority of both groups reported a single episode of homelessness rather than multiple, distinct episodes. 

Table 1: Number of episodes of homelessness experienced by veterans and non-veterans over the past year, PiT Count 2018 (n=714 veteran respondents and 14,704 non-veteran respondents)

Number of episodes of homelessness over the past year	Veteran	Non-Veteran
1 time	66.8%	66.5%
2 times	13.4%	14.7%
3 or more times	19.7%	18.8%

Key findings

• In 2019, veterans represented an estimated 1.6% of shelter users in Canada (1,905 individuals). Since some people experiencing homelessness do not access emergency shelters, the total number of veterans experiencing homelessness in Canada is likely higher.
• Most veterans experiencing homelessness were men. They tended to be older than non-veterans. Female veterans experiencing homelessness tended to be younger than male veterans.
• Veterans and non-veterans experiencing homelessness were similarly likely to identify as Indigenous.
• Veterans and non-veterans reported similar reasons for their housing loss. Yet veterans were more likely to cite issues related to illness or a medical condition, and less likely to report certain other factors (e.g. addiction and substance use, domestic abuse). Age and gender differences between veterans and non-veterans may contribute to these differences.
• Adult veterans (aged 25 to 64) were more likely than non-veterans to report a first experience of homelessness as a child or teen (18 or younger).
• Nearly half (46.8%) of veteran respondents reported having experienced homelessness over the entire past year. This figure was lower among non-veterans (39.4%).

For more information

To find out more about homelessness research, visit the Data analysis, reports and publications page.

If you have any questions about this report, contact us.