Together, we can solve chronic homelessness.

Homelessness is unbearable. For everyone. No one wants to be without a place to call home. No one wants to live on the street or not know when their next meal will be. No one wants to see another human living in inhumane conditions. None of us are happy knowing systems are failing the most vulnerable in our community.

Homelessness is a system failure. We know a combination of individual and systemic factors result in someone in our community living without a permanent place to call home. In addition to system breakdown, poverty, stigma, and personal trauma also can play a role in someone finding themselves without a home. What doesn’t make someone homeless is being lazy, not wanting to work or wanting to live off the system.

Homelessness is closer than we think. People experiencing homelessness come from all corners of our community. A streak of bad luck or an unexpected life event could put anyone in a similar situation. People living without a home have hopes, dreams and want to contribute to their community. Homelessness limits the personal, social and economic value everyone should have the opportunity to share.

Homelessness is a crisis that we can overcome. Our community has been recognized nationally for the sophisticated systems we have implemented to minimize the number of people who experience homelessness. Together, we are making great strides. But many complex factors* are contributing to this growing crisis and more people are in need than ever before. We know that one proven solution is Permanent Supporting Housing (PSH) – because individuals don’t just need a roof over their heads, they also need consistent social and emotional supports to help them move forward. PSH delivers that wraparound care and while it is not the only solution, it is life and system changing.

Learn more about Home for Good.

Homelessness in Guelph and Wellington County

The October 20, 2021, Guelph-Wellington community-level measure of sheltered and unsheltered homeless provides a snapshot of the minimum number of individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night. 161 individuals
experiencing homelessness were surveyed. Their responses are reflected in the statistics below. Additional measures identified additional individuals experiencing homelessness who did not complete the survey, for a total point-in-time count of 270.

Age of Participants age 16-24 = 13%, 25-39 34%, 40-64 = 50%, 65+ = 3%.
23% of participants identify as indigenous with 65% of those male, 33% female and 2% non-CIS
Participants experienced homelessness were 32% unsheltered, 40% emergency sheltered and 28% temporarily sheltered.
Participants experiencing homelessness. 71% single, 14% with a friend, 7% with children and 8% with a partner
Graph showing chronic homelessness at 62% as 6+ months homeless in the past year.
Top 5 Factors identified by participants as reason for loss of housing. Conflict, Mental Health, Not enough income, landlord-tenant conflict, unfit housing.

Learn more about measuring community homelessness here.