A reasonably well dressed person walks purposefully past you on the street. Are they homeless?
Why on earth would you think so? They aren’t huddled in a doorway under a sleeping bag. They aren’t standing in the gutter cursing pigeons. They aren’t engaged in toothless laughter with a pair of mates as they pass a brown-bagged bottle around on a park bench.
Still, best to be sure. Turn, run and catch them up. Ask them politely, “Are you homeless?” They smile a kindly smile, shake their head and say, “No, of course not. Thanks for asking.”
Reassured, you carry on. If they don’t know, who does?
As it turns out, neither you, nor the authorities who try to manage your community’s homeless problem. Perhaps more surprising, the person you just asked? They may very well not know either.
Visible homelessness, characterized by ‘street people’, is a tiny fraction of the population who are homeless. They are also more likely to have chronic physical and health problems as well as a lack of shelter.
The great majority of people who are homeless are hidden from your view. They appear perfectly normal to you if you pass them on the street. They simply lack affordable housing due to their economic or social circumstances. A good many have jobs, but still cannot afford a place to live.
Surely temporary circumstances! Best not to think the worst! Keep your spirits up!
Whatever the reasoning, a large number of people who are ‘hidden homeless’ don’t think of themselves as homeless. They ‘fly under the radar’, unnoticed by you when you pass them on the street, and most importantly, uncounted by authorities concerned with finding housing for all.1
For some stories of people who are homeless and not aware of their situation, read more in the CBC: ‘Do you realize you’re homeless?’ How Canadians are grappling with hidden homelessness
Footnotes
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The agency responsible for conducting the Canadian census reported that 12.7% of all Canadian households (1,693,775) were in “core housing need” in 2016. This is much higher than the 30,000 individuals who were estimated to be homeless each night in the same year.
‘Core housing need’is a way to gauge the extent of hidden homelessness. It reflects current housing situation and then whether the household could obtain better housing. To evaluate current housing situation, the census identifies households living in housing is unaffordable and/or inadequate and/or unsuitable. Then, to assess whether better housing can be obtained, income is compared with median housing costs in the community. IF household income is not enough to afford median housing, the household is counted as being in ‘core housing need’.
‘Core housing need’ as an indicator has its limitations. It excludes housing operated by non-profits and co-ops, homes on reserves or farms and temporary arrangements.
