Ontario is at a tipping point in its homelessness crisis. new evidence reveals the unprecedented and growing stress on individuals, families, communities, and governments. For the first time, data from Ontario’s 47 municipal service managers has been aggregated and analyzed, providing a fuller picture of the issue, along with a roadmap for the future.
In 2024, an estimated 81,515 Ontarians experienced known homelessness—a 25% increase since 2022. The incidence of chronic homelessness, characterized by prolonged or repeated episodes, has tripled over the same period, and now accounts for more than half of all cases of known homelessness. These numbers demonstrate systemic failures that extend beyond housing, reflecting deep gaps in healthcare, mental-health services, justice systems, and more.
Known homelessness refers to people known to the homelessness-serving system, through service provision or data collection and prioritization activities, such as a By-Name List (BNL), Point-in-Time (PiT) count, or other tools. This primarily includes people experiencing sheltered or unsheltered homelessness—those staying in emergency shelters, hotels, or unsheltered locations like tents or outdoor spaces. Occasionally, a small proportion of individuals experiencing hidden homelessness may also be included, depending on how Service Managers reported their data.
This term is used throughout the report and is bolded for clarity.
This report documents the problem and projects how homelessness in Ontario might look in the next decade. Without significant intervention, homelessness could more than triple by 2035, leaving up to 294,266 people without stable housing under an economic downturn scenario—a reality that most would agree is unacceptable. The report also outlines how targeted investments can reverse this trajectory, offering sustainable solutions and a vision for a future where homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring.
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