Homelessness Data Snapshot: Homelessness among racialized populations

On this page

• Introduction
• Data
• Findings
  • Demographic findings
  • Experience of homelessness
• Key findings
• For more information
• Annex A - 2020-2022 Point-in-Time Count Survey
• Annex B

Introduction

This report examines the intersection of homelessness and racial identity, through an analysis of survey data from the 2020-2022 Point-in-Time Counts. It compares demographic characteristics and experiences of people experiencing homelessness across Canada, with particular attention to those who are members of a racialized group. While the over-representation of those who identify as Indigenous among people experiencing homelessness in Canada has been well-documented for many years, the addition of a question on racial identity provided new insights into homelessness experiences of members of racialized groups. ^{Footnote 1} 

Data

The data used in this report come from the 2020-2022 PiT Counts that took place between March 2020 and December 2022. It includes the data from over 25,000 surveys, across the 87 communities that had provided their data for the third nationally coordinated PiT Counts. More detailed information on the data can be found in the methodology section of the Everyone Counts 2020-2022 – Results from the Third Nationally Coordinated Point-in-Time Counts of Homelessness in Canada.

Findings

The PiT count survey includes a question asking, “In addition to your response in the question above, do you identify with any of the racial identities listed below?”, following a question on First Nations, Metis, and Inuit identity (Annex A). Respondents can select from among a list of provided identities, or provide a response that was not listed.

Among respondents to this question, 96% identified with a single racial identity, including 47% who identified as White, 34% as Indigenous, and 16% as a specific racialized group, while 4% of respondents identified with more than one racial identity. Approximately 8% of respondents identified as Black, twice the proportion of the population who identified as Black in the 2021 Census, indicating an overrepresentation among those experiencing homelessness. Other responses were accounted for by less than 2% of respondents. See Annex B for the full results from this question relative to Census population data.

For the remaining analyses, respondents are grouped into racialized respondents, including those who did not identify solely as White or Indigenous, and non-racialized respondents, who identified as White.^{Footnote 2}   

Demographic findings

Racialized respondents were somewhat younger, with an average age of 39, compared to 42 among non-racialized respondents. Racialized respondents were relatively more likely to be under the age of 30, and less likely to be above the age of 45 (see Figure 1). 

Figure 1. Current age of respondents belonging to a racialized group

Racialized respondents were more likely to identify as a woman or girl (37%) than non-Racialized respondents (29%) and less likely to identify as a man or boy (60%, compared to 68%), while they were equally likely to identify as gender diverse (3%).

Members of racialized groups were more than twice as likely to report experiencing homelessness with one or more dependents compared to those from non-racialized groups, with rates of 13% and 5% respectively. Among racialized groups, Latin American (17%), Arab (17%), and Black (16%) respondents were most likely to report having dependents with them.

Experience of homelessness

Racialized respondents were most likely to be staying in programs offering overnight accommodation, accounting for 25% of those in shelters, 24% of those in transitional housing programs, and 36% of those in hotel/motel programs. They were also more likely to report using a shelter at some point in the past year (85%) compared to non-racialized respondents (73%).

Chronic homelessness (6+ months of homelessness experienced over the past year) was reported less often by racialized respondents (64% compared to 69%). Early first experiences of homelessness, under the age of 25, were reported by a similar proportion of racialized (40%) and non-racialized (37%) respondents. However, reports of early experiences of homelessness were less common among racialized respondents who had come to Canada as a newcomer (28%) and more common among those who did not (55%).

The majority (55%) of those identifying as members of a racialized group reported arriving in Canada as an immigrant (36%), refugee (8%) or an asylum claimant (11%), contrasting with the non-racialized group, where only 4% identified as a newcomer.

Figure 2. Newcomer identity and racialized group

Among racialized respondents who reported coming to Canada as a newcomer, 36% arrived within the last five years, in contrast to 10% among non-racialized respondents. Among Black respondents, 44% reported being a recent newcomer. This was also reported by 41% of Arab respondents, 36% of Latin American respondents, and 34% of West Asian respondents. This suggests a need for targeted support and resources to address the unique challenges faced by newly arrived individuals from racialized backgrounds within the homeless population.

Income sources cited by racialized and non-racialized respondents were generally similar, with social assistance (45%) being the most commonly cited source of income. Fewer racialized respondents cited disability benefits (20%) compared to non-racialized respondents (25%), while employment income was more common among racialized respondents (19% compared to 11%).

Key findings

• One-fifth (20%) of respondents identified themselves as belonging to a racialized group.
• Black respondents are overrepresented among those experiencing homelessness, representing 8% of survey respondents, compared to 4% of the Canadian population.
• Racialized respondents were more likely than non-racialized respondents to:
• be younger (average age of 39 compared to 42),
• identify as a woman or girl (37% compared to 29%),
• have dependants (13% compared to 5%),
• use a shelter over the past year (83% compared to 73%),
• report having come to Canada as a newcomer (55%) in comparison to respondents who are part of the non-racialized group (4%),
• report income from employment (19%) compared to the non-racialized group (11%).

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.

Annex A - 2020-2022 Point-in-Time Count Survey

8b. In addition to your response in the question above, do you identify with any of the racial identities listed below?

 ARAB (e.g., Syrian, Egyptian, Yemeni)
 ASIAN-EAST (e.g., Chinese, Korean, Japanese)
 ASIAN- SOUTH-EAST (e.g., Filipino, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Malaysian, Laotian)
 ASIAN-SOUTH OR INDO-CARIBBEAN (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Indo-Guyanese, Indo-Trinidadian)
 ASIAN-WEST (e.g., Iranian, Afghan)
 BLACK-CANADIAN/AMERICAN
 BLACK-AFRICAN (e.g., Ghanaian, Ethiopian, Nigerian)
 BLACK-AFRO-CARIBBEAN OR AFRO-LATINX (e.g., Jamaican, Haitian, Afro-Brazilian)
 LATIN AMERICAN (e.g., Brazilian, Mexican, Chilean, Cuban)
 WHITE (e.g., European, French, Ukrainian, Euro-Latinx)
 NOT LISTED (PLEASE SPECIFY): _________________
 IDENTIFY AS INDIGENOUS ONLY
 DON’T KNOW
 DECLINE TO ANSWER

Annex B

Table 1. Racialized Group, PiT 2020-22 compared to Census 2021

Racialized Group	PiT 2020-2022	Census 2021Footnote 3
West Asian	0.6%	1.0%
South East Asian	0.7%	3.6%
East Asian	0.7%	5.5%
Arab	1.1%	1.9%
Latinx	1.4%	1.6%
South Asian	1.5%	7.0%
Other, not listed	1.8%	0.5%
Multiple racialized groups	3.9%	0.9%
Black	8.0%	4.2%

• Copyright

  © 2024 HIS MAJESTY THE KING IN RIGHT OF CANADA as represented by the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.

  Catalogue No. T94-60/3-2024E-PDF

  ISBN 978-0-660-74355-4