While some communities have been applauding a decline in homelessness over the past several years across Canada, not all cities have had the same trends. As this infographic demonstrates, Kitchener-Waterloo saw an increased need for the use of services for homelessness between 2008-2012. The Homeless to Housing Stability Reports found that part of the increase in homelessness in Kitchener-Waterloo was due to the lingering effects of the 2008 economic recession. This is an example of how accurate, repeated and statistics on homelessness can inform policy. This was one of the limitations stated in the ‘State of Homelessness in Canada Report’. It is easier to track the progress of ending homelessness in Canada when it is possible to draw on data from a variety of different municipalities.
In the State of Homelessness in Canada Report, it was found that homelessness has been decreasing in other large urban centers (including Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton), Alberta’s provincial plan also contributed to a provincial decrease. Due to the complexities of homelessness, responses must vary to fit the needs of different communities. It is also important to recognize that cities require different funding based on their unique circumstances. One of these local circumstances in Kitchener-Waterloo was the hard-hitting nature of the latest 2008 recession. Not only are there more people using shelters, (24% increase from 2008), but those people are also staying for more time (45% increase in number of nights from 2008).
The Homelessness to Housing Stability Reports found that people typically exhausted all of their resources 2-3 years after losing their jobs. Since shelter use is frequently seen as a ‘last resort’, the effects of the recession could not be connected to immediate homelessness. This is also seen as a challenge with using shelter usage statistics, as they do not accurate show the ‘hidden homeless’ populations. In addition to job loss from the recession, the report highlighted several other areas that have contributed to an increase in shelter usage: a lack of affordable housing, low minimum wage, low rental availability and insufficient supportive housing. These findings have triggered a response by government in Kitchener-Waterloo. There will be an additional 500 affordable housing units, and an increase in 100 supportive housing units (both from 2008 numbers). Despite this positive step, there is still a lot needed to support over 3400 individuals who used service in 2012.