DEFINING HOMELESSNESS
There is more than one “official” definition of homelessness. This is because there are certain groups of people who experience homelessness in different ways, for example, the ‘hidden’ homeless individuals who couch surf or stay at friends/family etc. but all homelessness is characterized by extreme poverty coupled with a lack of stable housing.
THE MANY FACES OF HOMELESSNESS
Often people wonder why someone is experiencing homelessness. The reasons vary and are as individual as each person. For some, it is the lack of affordable housing, poverty, devastating life events, relationship breakdowns, mental health/or substance use issues, physical health, and victimization. Often it can be a combination of these that people who are homeless are experiencing.
The stigma associated with people experiencing homelessness only serves to exacerbate peoples’ situations. Most people experiencing homelessness don’t look anything like the traditional stereotypes. Extremely limited choices make it seem that someone has “chosen” to be homeless. Highly educated, hardworking, honest, compassionate, funny, wonderful people are all experiencing homelessness.
THE FACTS OF HOMELESSNESS CLOSE TO HOME
Currently, in the whole of York Region there exists only one men’s emergency housing facility, one family shelter, three youth shelters, one men’s/women shelter and two women’s shelters, all for a population of over 1.033 million (2011). The following was estimated in a 2012 study by The Homeless Hub, a web-based research library in York Region. The most recent point in time count of the homeless population in York Region was conducted in April 2021.
Population of York County
Shelters for Families, Youth, Men, and Women in York County
Emergency Housing Facility in York County