Indigenous people make up 0.5% of the Canadian population, yet are a much higher proportion of the people who experience homelessness in Canada. New research uses available public data to shed light on the pathways to homelessness for Indigenous people. It also raises sobering questions about whether education, which seems to protect white people from becoming homeless, does the same for indigenous students.
The research looked at data collected in a national survey that is conducted regularly by Statistics Canada. The survey asks many questions. In this study, the ones that interested the researchers were about heredity (indigenous and non-indigenous), experiences of homelessness, participation in the child welfare system and educational attainment.
The survey responses show that participation in the child welfare system is the strongest predictor that a person will experience homelessness. This applies regardless of whether someone is Indigenous or non-Indigenous. The data also show that Indigenous people are four times more likely to have experience in the child welfare system than non-Indigenous people.
The data from the Statistics Canada survey aligns with findings from point-in-time counts of people experiencing homelessness. The point-in-time counts provide information about people who experience homelessness on a single day of the year. The Statistics Canada data records people’s experience of homelessness at any time in their lives. Both report that experience in the child welfare system is prevalent.
The data from the Statistics Canada survey also reinforces the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s inquiry which gathered evidence through personal testimony. The reports from both investigations call for changes to the child welfare system
The researchers also studied the data for evidence that education protects people experiencing homelessness. It is commonly accepted that a higher education leads to a better life. However, when it comes to the experience of homelessness, the effects of education showed significant differences for Indigenous people. Higher levels of education do not translate to fewer experiences of homelessness.
Why does this report matter?
This report illustrates that existing data deserves attention. As the researchers note, the data has limitations, but looking at it with an Indigenous lens turned up some results that would not have remained hidden otherwise. This applies in jurisdictions beyond Canada.
This discussion touches on just a few results of this research, which is published in Children and Youth Services Review. The abstract is accessible on the web: Homelessness among Indigenous peoples in Canada: The impacts of child welfare involvement and educational achievement. You need a subscription to read the full article. This is unfortunate, especially since the data is public and the researchers received public funding to complete their work. Mitigating this situation, Amy Alberton, a member of the study team, welcomes any inquiries for further information: albert3@uwindsor.ca
