Families with Children

The main causes of family homelessness tend to be structural: a lack of affordable housing, ongoing poverty due to low wages and un- or underemployment, and low government assistance rates. There are many factors that contribute to the risk of homelessness for families, including:

• According to the 2021 census, over 10% of Canadians are in core housing need, meaning they live in unsuitable, inadequate, or unaffordable housing and cannot afford alternatives in their community.
• In 2021, 7.4% of Canadian households lived below the Low Income Cut-off (LICO) and 3.6% live in deep income poverty, with incomes below 75% of the LICO.
• 12.9% of Canadians lived in households that had experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, meaning they do not have enough money to purchase or access a sufficient amount and variety of food to live a healthy lifestyle.
• Most wealth is held by relatively few households in Canada. The wealthiest households (top 20%) accounted for more than two thirds (67.9%) of net worth at the end of 2022, while the least wealthy households (bottom 40%) accounted for 2.6%.

These factors put many families on the edge of homelessness and just one illness, layoff, disaster, or loss of childcare provider can put a family over the edge. As well, rapid economic growth can put housing out of the affordable range for many working families. Between 2018 and 2021, shelter costs increased by more than 7% across Ontario, meaning more families saw affordable housing become out of reach.

Ninety percent of families using homeless shelters are headed by single women, and family shelters were the only type of shelters whose occupancy rate was over a hundred percent in the 2019 National Shelter Survey. Family shelters, where adults can stay with dependents, account for 10% of all shelter beds, for a total of 1,617 across Canada in 2020. However, they make up less than 5% of all transitional housing spots, meaning there are proportionately fewer supports available for families as they exit homelessness.

Preventing homelessness for families with children requires addressing the structural factors driving housing instability. Central to this effort is the urgent need for policies and initiatives that increase the availability of affordable housing, ensuring that families can access safe and stable living environments. Equally crucial is the implementation of measures to combat poverty, including fair wages, support for underemployed individuals, and improved government assistance rates, all of which can bolster family financial stability. Targeted interventions to alleviate food insecurity and promote economic resilience within vulnerable communities are also vital components. By addressing these systemic issues and providing families with a strong safety net, we can mitigate the risk of homelessness for parents and their children, ultimately fostering a society where every family has the opportunity to thrive in a secure and nurturing home environment.