Homelessness Data Snapshot: Homelessness and immigration in Canada from 2020 - 2023

Figure 1: Status in Canada among emergency shelter users, from 2017 to 2023

Note: Canadian citizens not included in graph

Figure 2: Age group of emergency shelter users by status in Canada, 2020 to 2023 (aggregate)

Figure 3: Gender of emergency shelter users by status in Canada, 2020 to 2023 (aggregate)

Figure 4: Distribution of shelter users by status in Canada and shelter type, 2020 to 2023 (aggregate)

Figure 5: Proportion of emergency shelter users by population size and status in Canada, 2020 to 2023 (aggregate)

Statistics Canada has released quarterly estimates of non-permanent residents by type from 2021 to present3. The non-permanent resident types are mutually exclusive and are derived in the following order of classification: asylum seekers, protected person and related groups^{Footnote 16}, then permit holders and their family members.  Visitors are excluded from the non-permanent resident population.  This information can be used to calculate the rate of shelter use among this population controlling for overall population growth between 2021 and 2023 (Table 2).

Not only did the number of non-permanent residents grow overall, but the rate of shelter use grew almost fourfold between 2021 (3.9 per 10,000) and 2023 (15.0 per 10,000). There may be several contributing factors for this:

Visibility of non-citizens in the dataset

• As temporary COVID-19 shelters closed, resettled refugee and asylum seekers became more visible in the permanent emergency shelter system.
• Overflow from saturated communities that do not provide status data (e.g. Toronto) into neighbouring communities that do as the population of non-permanent residents continues to grow beyond the capacity of regions to respond.

Application processing issues

• The lifting of COVID-19 pandemic-related border restrictions and the high level of people seeking Canada's protection led to a renewed surge in refugee claims in Canada, resulting in critical delays in the early stages of refugee claim processing.^{Footnote 17}These delays may have resulted in people exhausting their resources before a decision could be reached.

Affordability and availability of housing

• Increased cost of living^{Footnote 18} makes it particularly difficult for non-citizens to afford adequate housing.
• An increase in non-permanent residents without an equal increase in affordable housing.

In 2021, the rate of shelter use among asylum seekers, and visa holders was significantly lower than the rate among permanent residents. However, by 2023 that gap shrunk considerably (Figure 6).

Unfortunately, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rates of shelter use among non-permanent residents cannot be fully explored due to a lack of data on the overall numbers of non-permanent residents in Canada pre-2021.

Figure 6: Rate of shelter use among non-permanent residents compared to permanent residents, 2021 to 2023

Point-in-Time surveys: Analysis of homelessness among those who arrived as newcomers to Canada

Whereas the shelter data analysis provides a longitudinal analysis of people accessing the shelter system, the Point-in-Time count surveys provide a one-night snapshot of people experiencing homelessness inside and outside of the shelter system. Another key difference is that while shelter data indicates the current citizenship status of shelter users, the PiT count survey asks people about their status on arrival in Canada.^{Footnote 19} As a result, this section describes longer-term outcomes for people who arrived as newcomers to Canada, but whose status may have since changed (e.g. people who arrived as asylum claimants may now be permanent residents or citizens).

These data come from the nationally-coordinated Point-in-Time count surveys conducted from March 2020 to December 2022.

Overnight location

Although people who arrived as newcomers made up a minority of all respondents to the PiT count survey, their representation varied across locations. They were most highly represented in "Motel/Hotel" locations. These were locations where people were typically provided with a hotel or motel room in place of a space at a traditional homelessness shelter.

Figure 7: Overnight location by newcomer history

Demographics of people experiencing homelessness who had a newcomer history

Adults (aged 25-49) make up the majority of respondents regardless of newcomer experience, although the representation of adults was particularly evident among those who arrived as resettled refugees and asylum seekers.

Figure 8: Age distribution by newcomer history

Although men typically represent 60 to 65% of PiT count survey respondents, newcomer experience categories had a greater representation of women. Notably, people who arrived as asylum seekers had the highest proportion of female respondents (47.2%), more than any other newcomer category. Gender-diverse respondents accounted for 3% of all respondents and rates were lower among those who came to Canada as refugees and immigrants.

Single individuals made up the majority of the respondents, corresponding to 89% of all surveyed. However, a notable proportion of people who arrived as asylum claimants were part of single-with-dependant(s) households, representing 27.4%, which is significantly higher than in other groups. In comparison, 9.2% of those who arrived as immigrants and 8.4% of those who arrived as refugees were part of single-with-dependant(s) households. Additionally, a small proportion of those who came as asylum claimants (1.3%) were part of couple-with-dependant(s) households, compared to 0.4% across the other newcomer groups.

Figure 9: Household type by newcomer history

Income sources

A total of 21,489 individuals provided their source of income. Participants were asked to select all types of income that apply. The following table displays the proportion of participants within each newcomer history category that indicated that they receive a certain income.

Welfare/Social Assistance was the most commonly accessed source of income across all groups.

Reasons for housing loss

Survey respondents were asked what led to their most recent housing loss and a total of 21,418 individuals provided a response. People were able to select multiple reasons for housing loss. Among respondents who had come to Canada as a newcomer, "Not Enough Income" was the reason most commonly cited for housing loss (ranging from 32% to 34%), followed by “Conflict” with spouse or partner (9% to 14%), or with a landlord (8 % to 13%).

"Addiction or Substance Use" was the most often selected single reason for housing loss among non-newcomers (19%), but it was less commonly cited among those with a newcomer experience (4% to 10%).

Some differences were seen across newcomer categories. For example, factors related to experiences of interpersonal conflict or abuse were typically more common among people who had arrived in Canada as immigrants (8.0%) than those who came as resettled refugees (5%) or asylum seekers (7%).

First experience of homelessness and years in Canada

Respondents were asked at what age they first experienced homelessness. While profiles were largely similar between groups, those with a newcomer experience were less likely to report a first experience homelessness at a young age compared to non-newcomers. The majority of newcomers first experienced homelessness over the age of 25, ranging from 70% for those who came as resettled refugees to 80% for those who came as asylum seekers. The immigrant category had the highest proportion of individuals experiencing homelessness for the first time as seniors (5.7%).

An important consideration here is that the survey does not collect responses from accompanied children (i.e., dependents). This means that there may be a portion of the current homeless population that are children, and thus experienced homelessness for the first time as children, that are not included in this analysis. This group may include children in households with and without a newcomer experience given the greater proportion of accompanied children and youth among newcomers. Furthermore, some dependent children may not continue to experience homelessness, and may never be surveyed through a PiT Count.

Figure 10: Age of first experience of homelessness by newcomer history

Most respondents reported having their first experience of homelessness after their arrival to Canada, particularly people who came to Canada as immigrants. Those who arrived as asylum seekers were most likely to report that their first experience of homelessness was around the time of their arrival. A previous report indicated a higher proportion of asylum seekers experiencing homelessness within one year of their arrival in Canada. It is possible that changes in the supports available for newcomers, or factors related to the post-pandemic period may have affected risk of homelessness for this group.

Figure 11: Timing of newcomers' first experience of homelessness relative to their arrival in Canada

Key findings

Annual shelter data results: Homelessness and status in Canada

• Non-citizens constituted an estimated 8.9% of the emergency shelter user population in 2023, compared to approximately 9% of the Canadian population, indicating that non-citizens were proportionally represented among shelter users.
• There was a temporary drop in the number of non-citizens shelter users during the peak pandemic years 2020 and 2021. The phase out of border controls, eviction moratoria and other pandemic policies resulted in a subsequent recovery in non-citizen shelter users by 2023.
• While the total number of non-citizens was consistent with pre-pandemic trends, the citizenship profile shifted in 2023 with an increase among resettled refugees and asylum seekers and visa holders and a decrease in immigrants.
• Non-citizen shelter users tend to differ from Canadian Citizens in terms of age profile. Between 2020 and 2023, there was a higher proportion of children among immigrants (8.1%), asylum seekers (17.0%) and resettled refugees (8.7%) compared to Canadian citizens (3.2%). There was also a higher proportion of youth among immigrants (16.5%), asylum seekers (17.8%) and resettled refugees (16.3%), and visa holders (30.7%) compared to Canadian citizens (11.5%).
• This different age profile is partially explained by family status. Immigrants, resettled refugees and asylum claimants were more likely to access family shelters compared to Canadian citizens. Non-citizens who accessed family shelters stayed between 11 and 25 days longer than their single counterparts on average. However, single resettled refugee, asylum seekers and visa holders stayed between 6 and 8 fewer days on average compared to single Canadian citizens.
• Homelessness among non-citizens was unevenly distributed across Canada between 2020 and 2023. Large population centres had a higher proportion of non-citizens (6.7%) compared to medium (2.2%) and small (1.0%) population centres.
• The rate of shelter use among non-permanent residents (asylum seekers and visa holders) increased fourfold between 2021 (3.9 per 10,000 population) and 2023 (15.0 per 10,000 population).

Point-in-Time Count results: History of experience as a newcomer

• Although newcomers represented approximately 13% of The Point-in-Time (PiT) count survey respondents, a higher proportion were experiencing homelessness in temporary accommodations such as programs that provide shelter in motels or hotels. Among those staying in these locations, 29% indicated they came to Canada as immigrants, resettled refugees, or asylum seekers during the PiT counts.
• PiT count surveys revealed that asylum seekers had a significantly higher proportion of women compared to other groups, with 47.2% of asylum seekers being female.
• Based on the PiT count surveys, most respondents who came as immigrants, resettled refugees, or asylum seekers experienced homelessness for the first time after arriving in Canada. Specifically, 87.9% of immigrants and 77.8% of refugees reported their first experience of homelessness occurring after their arrival. Those who came as asylum seekers were most likely to experience homelessness for the first time within a year of their arrival (43.5%), compared to those who came as resettled refugees (15.4%) and immigrants (6.5%).

Appendix A: Glossary of Terms ^{Footnote 20 Footnote 21}

Permanent resident

a person who has been granted permanent resident status in Canada. The person may have come to Canada as an immigrant or as Protected Person, including resettled refugees. Permanent residents who become Canadian citizens are no longer permanent residents.

Immigrant

a person who has voluntarily settled permanently in another country.

Resettled refugee

a refugee who has been selected as a person who is eligible for refugee protection by Canada  while still outside Canada and arrive in Canada with a Permanent Resident Visa. Refugees resettled to Canada are determined to be refugees by the Canadian government  (whereas asylum seekers receive a determination in Canada).

Protected person

according to Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, a person who has been determined by Canada to be either

1. a Convention Refugee; A person who  is unable to return to their country because of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. or;
2. a person in need of protection; A person who, if returned to their country would face danger of torture, risk to their life or risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.

Non-permanent resident

a person who has been granted temporary resident status in Canada or has not yet been granted permanent resident status, that is persons who have temporary resident status as a foreign student or worker.

Asylum seeker

a person who is seeking asylum while in Canada. An asylum seeker is a person who has left their country and is seeking protection from persecution and serious human rights violations, but who hasn't yet been legally recognized as a refugee by Canada and is waiting to receive a decision on their claim.

Visa holder

a person who has obtained a permit to reside temporarily in Canada for the purposes of work, study, or visiting.