Safe, affordable, housing is a foundation for people’s well-being. A home gives people the stability and emotional security to live, work and raise their families. This, in turn, builds strong and inclusive neighbourhoods and long-term social and economic growth for the region. Despite an important focus on housing affordability and progress in York Region on homelessness initiatives in recent years, demographic growth, economic trends and a shortage of affordable housing have increased the number of people who are at risk of or who are experiencing homelessness. Accurate and reliable information on homelessness is essential to understanding the scope and nature of the issue in York Region and

Accurate and reliable information on homelessness is essential to understanding the scope and nature of the issue in York Region and key to being able to measure the impact of programs and services. To this end, the Regional Municipality of York and United Way Toronto & York Region (United Way) collaborated to integrate data obtained from the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS) and York Region’s first-ever Point-in-Time Count, Count Me In, to develop a robust profile of homelessness in our community.

This report confirms that homelessness continues to exist in our community and indicates that much of homelessness in York Region remains invisible. Our data reveals that in York Region homelessness is caused by no single factor and exists across all demographics. It is not an issue exclusive to a particular group or demographic and could happen to anyone. While homelessness in York Region is most often a one-time, temporary situation, for some it is a more chronic issue with individuals cycling in and out of homelessness or staying homeless for lengthy periods of time.