By all accounts, the rate of homelessness is increasing in Calgary. The most recent homeless count in Calgary in 2006 identified 17% of 3,436 total individuals counted as having visible Aboriginal heritage (City of Calgary, Homeless Count, 2006). According to the Calgary Homeless Foundation this number could be even higher, and underscores the difficulty in predicting with any reliability, the true nature of Aboriginal homelessness in Calgary. “Aboriginal people make up 36% of the homeless in Calgary. This sector of the homeless population also has the disturbing distinction of having the same percentage of people with dependent children who are also homeless” (0 Calgary Homeless Foundation, 2010). Overall, Aboriginal people only represent about 2.5% of the total population of the city. Although Aboriginal people comprise only a small percentage of Calgary’s population, their numbers are rapidly increasing. Between 2001 and 2006, the Aboriginal population in Calgary increased by 21.2 percent, compared to growth of the general population of 13.4 percent (Census of Canada, 2006). In spite of the size of the urban Aboriginal population, public policy discussions and research on Aboriginal homelessness is quite sparse. Much of this hesitancy is rooted in conflicting views about governmental responsibilities for urban Aboriginal people. Because no one level of government has assumed primary responsibility for urban Aboriginal people, gaps have developed in the policy landscape.
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