Homelessness Factors

Poverty is a serious issue in Canada and across the Health Unit region. It is driver of homelessness. Poverty can mean a person is one illness, one accident, or one pay cheque away from homelessness.

Not having enough income is a barrier to finding and maintaining housing. In 2020, Nipissing District residents experiencing homelessness reported not having enough money to afford housing as the top barrier for finding housing.^,[1]

Improving policies related to social assistance rates, employment, and minimum wage would reduce vulnerability for homelessness.

There are strong links between adult homelessness and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, or living with household dysfunction.

ACEs and toxic stress contribute to several poor physical and mental health outcomes such as some forms of mental illness, problematic substance use, and homelessness.

Learn more: Infographic: Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adult Homelessness

As a result of colonization, Indigenous populations are grossly over-represented in populations experiencing homelessness across Canada.^[2]

In Nipissing District, in 2020, during a 24 hour Point in Time Count survey in Nipissing District, 42% of respondents experiencing homelessness identified as Indigenous or of Indigenous ancestry, and discrimination and stigma were listed as a top barrier to finding housing.^[1]