Quebec’s homeless population almost doubled in 4 years, report says | CBC News

The number of people experiencing homelessness in Quebec has almost doubled between 2018 and 2022, according to new government data obtained by Radio-Canada.

In 2018, the first provincewide survey in Quebec’s history on homelessness was conducted. It found a total of 5,789 people who were “visibly” homeless.

In 2022, that number jumped to 10,000. Nearly half of those people, 4 690, live in Montreal. 

The data was compiled in a report commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Social Services, which is expected to be made public Thursday afternoon. 

The survey, conducted over two days in October last year, compiled data from 13 regions of Quebec. In most regions, a host of outreach workers and more than 1,000 volunteers were recruited to canvas places like streets, alleys and parks. 

Emergency shelters and transitional housing programs also collected and submitted their own data.  

Officials who conducted the survey stress the total number of people experiencing homelessness is likely far higher, once the so-called “hidden homeless” — those without a permanent address who aren’t necessarily living on the street — are taken into account.

Similar to the findings from the 2018 survey, the report found Indigenous people and members of the LGBTQ community are disproportionately represented among Quebec’s homeless population.

Here are some of the key findings:

• 67 per cent of people experiencing homelessness in Quebec are cisgender men.
• 13 per cent of those surveyed identified as Indigenous — five times more than in the general population.
• Around 16 per cent of those surveyed identified as LGBTQ+. 
• Immigrants represent around 11 per cent of the homelessness population. 
• 29 per cent of those surveyed had previously been placed in the care of Quebec’s youth protection services or another institutional setting. 
• 15 per cent of people who became homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic say it played a role in their current situation.

This year’s report shows that those who were previously placed in the care of Quebec’s youth protection services and people who have been evicted from their homes are also overrepresented among those who are unhoused. 

The report also points to the shortage of affordable housing as a reason for the increase in homelessness.

$20 million for shelters

In response to Quebec’s growing homeless population, Lionel Carmant, Quebec’s minister responsible for social services, is expected to announce a $20-million investment for shelters.

A little more than $15 million from that total is new money.

However, housing advocates say that’s not enough. 

The Réseau d’aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montreal (RAPSIM), a community group that provides services for the homeless, says Montreal alone needs at least $40 million just to maintain the 1,600 spots in shelters that already exist.

“I hope there will be more announcements,” said Annie Savage, director of the RAPSIM, adding that the 1,600 spots in Montreal aren’t sufficient.

Radio-Canada recently learned that the number of makeshift campsites dismantled by Montreal officials downtown has doubled since 2021.

The city says it’s been calling on the upper levels of government to invest more in social and affordable housing.