Filling in the gaps: examining the prevalence of Black homelessness in Canada

Abstract

Purpose Due to ongoing inequities in the social determinants of health and systemic barriers, homelessness continues to be a significant concern that disproportionately impacts racialized communities. Despite constituting a small proportion of the population, Black individuals are over-represented among people experiencing homelessness in many Canadian cities. However, although Black homelessness in Canada is a pressing issue, it has received limited attention in the academic literature. The purpose of this paper is to examine the reported prevalence of Black homelessness across Canada. Design/methodology/approach By consulting enumerations from 61 designated communities that participated in the 2018 Nationally Coordinated Point-in-Time Count and two regional repositories – one for homeless counts supported by the government of British Columbia and another from the Rural Development Network – this paper reports on the scale and scope of Black homelessness across Canada. Findings Significantly, these reports demonstrate that Black people are over-represented among those experiencing homelessness compared to local and national populations. These enumerations also demonstrate significant gaps in the reporting of Black homelessness and inadequate nuance in data collection methods, which limit the ability of respondents to describe their identity beyond “Black.” Originality/value This research provides an unprecedented examination of Black homelessness across Canada and concludes with recommendations to expand knowledge on this important and under-researched issue, provide suggestions for future iterations of homeless enumerations and facilitate the development of inclusive housing policy.

Making Homes in Un-Homelike Places among Young People in Vancouver: Implications for Homelessness Prevention

“…Indigenous young people in particular must continue to contend with a policy landscape that disproportionately undermines the homing strategies of racialized others [46]. In general, research demonstrates that Black and other young people of color, as well as 2S/LGBTQIA+ and migrant young people and young women, are less able to enact homing strategies compared to other young Canadians because of a lack of access to gender-affirming, culturally safe, and antiracist housing programs [75][76][77]. Considerations of race, gender, and social justice and equity must be at the center of prevention policies and practices designed for young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness [78].…”

Strength in the Face of Adversity: Perseverance and Resilience of Racialized Staff in the Homeless Sector During COVID-19

“…However, the Canadian Housing Survey looked at households who are presently sheltered and did not include currently unsheltered and housing-insecure persons (Uppal, 2022), which is an important limitation. Additional research has also identified racialized persons as overrepresented among people experiencing homelessness (Anderson & Collins, 2014;Lenon, 2000;Olivet et al, 2021;Wilkinson et al, 2023). While some data is available for people experiencing homelessness, there is limited data on the representation of racialized persons among staff within homeless services and no data that differentiated between Black and other non-Black racialized people.…”