Women in the unhoused population
Answer:
Women make up 27.3% of those experiencing homelessness—precarious employment, having to take on additional caregiver roles (to take care of children or dependents), as well as the wage gap in our province (women make an average of 18.6% less than men, or approx. $5.90/hour) are all contributing factors.
Families
Answer:
More than 29,000 families live in provincially-subsidized housing. In Canada, 1 in 5 racialized families will live in poverty compared to only 1 in 20 non-racialized families.
Indigenous peoples
Answer:
Indigenous peoples are overrepresented among those experiencing homelessness in urban centres in Canada—colonialism, systemic and individual racism and poverty all create fewer opportunities and a greater risk of homelessness. On any given night, 6.97% of the urban Indigenous population in Canada is homeless, as compared to a national average of 0.78%. 41% of BC’s Indigenous peoples are at risk of homelessness and 23% are absolutely homeless.
Youth
Answer:
Youth between the ages of 13-24 make up 20% of the homeless population in Canada. In any given year, there are at least 35–40,000 youth experiencing homelessness.
- LGBTQ2S+ youth make up 25–40% of the youth experiencing homelessness, and trans youth face discrimination in accessing the shelter system (1 in 3 are rejected)
Mental illness
Answer:
People with severe addictions and/or mental illness make up anywhere from 33% to over 60% of the homeless population. Approximately 136,000 adults in BC have a severe addiction and/or mental illness, and between 8,000 and 15,500 of these people are street homeless. Because of the cyclical and long-term nature of severe mental illness, people often have difficulty getting and keeping employment. Without a regular income, many people depend on provincial and federal benefit programs. However, these programs do not provide enough assistance to cover basic food and shelter costs, and people with addictions and mental illness are often not able to qualify for these programs. These people fall through the cracks of our society due to an overwhelmed medical system, societal stigma and a lack of resources.