Homelessness in Canada is still getting worse. What would actually make a difference?

In today’s Big Story podcast, at the time of year when we should be trying to help others, those struggling with homelessness might not be feeling the love. In some Canadian cities, encampment communities have been taken down, sometimes violently. Temporary hotel shelters created during the pandemic are being shut down. And all just in time for winter.

Jen St. Denis is a housing and civic issues reporter at The Tyee. She joins us today to discuss what we know about the extent of the homelessness issue in Canada, and the short and long term solutions that may help those who are struggling.

“[In Vancouver] in 2016 we had an enormous spike in housing prices,” she said, “after years of seeing homelessness stay steady or even go down, homelessness went up in 2016, and it’s never stopped going up after that,” she said.

Why has homelessness spiked in Canada? And what do those living outside — in the shelter system or in community encampments — actually need from governments, and from us?

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