Across Canada, many people who lack a secure and permanent home have had to seek informal and temporary solutions like staying with family and friends, or couch surfing with strangers. These experiences are examples of hidden homelessness – a form of precarious housing where people temporarily stay with other people when they lack permanent housing of their own. Hidden homelessness represents a critical point of intervention to connect supports to individuals who are at risk of falling into more severe states of homelessness. Yet, a lack of data means these experiences are often overlooked in the design of policies and programs.
To address this knowledge gap, the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights and CTLabs conducted a research project from 2022-2024 using Saskatoon as a case study to better understand and estimate the scale and scope of hidden homelessness. The findings from our research can help to deepen our collective understanding of the issue, shedding light on the needs, barriers, patterns and solutions to address hidden homelessness.
We have developed three key reports that present our key findings, proposed solutions and policy recommendations.