Homelessness
Definition
Number of people experiencing homelessness.
In the 2016 and 2018 data presented here, homelessness was defined as living in one of the following four circumstances:
- Unsheltered – including living in public places or places unfit for habitation, such as an empty building or vehicle.
- Emergency sheltered – including homeless shelters and shelters for those escaping intimate partner violence.
- Transitionally housed – staying with family, friends, in transitional or supportive housing, or living in a boarding home or in a motel.
- Institutionally housed – living in institutional care with no subsequent place to live identified (such as in a correctional facility, a group home, or in acute care, in an addiction/recovery facility or mental health unit.
Beginning in 2021, a more complete picture of homelessness was obtained by including people considered to be living at-risk of homelessness. This is in keeping with the definition of homelessness used by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness.
Measurement and Limitations
The data presented are from service-based homelessness counts conducted by the Affordable Housing and Homelessness Working Group Cape Breton Regional Municipality in 2016, 2018 and 2021.
During a one-month period during each year of the count, service providers throughout the study region identified clients who were 16 years of age or older thought to be experiencing homelessness. For each client, a survey was completed with the service provider’s perspective on the client’s demographic background and housing situation. Service providers included non-profit community organizations and government service departments falling under the areas of health, community services, education, income and employment services, housing/transitional housing/shelter services and justice.
A service-based count has some advantages over other ways to identify the number of people in a community who are experiencing various forms of homelessness.
a. Homelessness in non-urban or rural areas tends to be hidden. Therefore, a service-based approach can be more effective than a point-in-time street count in capturing the hidden homeless population in non-urban areas.
b. There are many local, knowledgeable and engaged service providers across different sectors who work to address homelessness. Bringing knowledge from service providers from different sectors together provides a more comprehensive picture of homelessness.
c. It is likely that someone experiencing homelessness will have contact with at least one of these service providers. (“Service-Based Count Toolkit,” Affordable Housing and Homelessness Working Group, Cape Breton Regional Municipality, 2020)
Source
Service-Based Homelessness Count 2021: Counting those Experiencing Homelessness in Eastern Nova Scotia, Affordable Housing and Homelessness Working Group, Cape Breton Regional Municipality, 2021.
Homelessness in the Sustainable Development Goals
Click on the SDG to reveal more information
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Extreme poverty rates have been cut by more than half since 1990. While this is a remarkable achievement, one in five people in developing regions still live on less than $1.90 a day, and there are millions more who make little more than this daily amount, plus many people risk slipping back into poverty.
Poverty is more than the lack of income and resources to ensure a sustainable livelihood. Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services, social discrimination and exclusion as well as the lack of participation in decision-making. Economic growth must be inclusive to provide sustainable jobs and promote equality.
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages is essential to sustainable development. Significant strides have been made in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common killers associated with child and maternal mortality. Major progress has been made on increasing access to clean water and sanitation, reducing malaria, tuberculosis, polio and the spread of HIV/AIDS. However, many more efforts are needed to fully eradicate a wide range of diseases and address many different persistent and emerging health issues.
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Investments in infrastructure – transport, irrigation, energy and information and communication technology – are crucial to achieving sustainable development and empowering communities in many countries. It has long been recognized that growth in productivity and incomes, and improvements in health and education outcomes require investment in infrastructure.
Inclusive and sustainable industrial development is the primary source of income generation, allows for rapid and sustained increases in living standards for all people, and provides the technological solutions to environmentally sound industrialization.
Technological progress is the foundation of efforts to achieve environmental objectives, such as increased resource and energy-efficiency. Without technology and innovation, industrialization will not happen, and without industrialization, development will not happen.
11. Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development and much more. At their best, cities have enabled people to advance socially and economically.
However, many challenges exist to maintaining cities in a way that continues to create jobs and prosperity while not straining land and resources. Common urban challenges include congestion, lack of funds to provide basic services, a shortage of adequate housing and declining infrastructure.
The challenges cities face can be overcome in ways that allow them to continue to thrive and grow, while improving resource use and reducing pollution and poverty. The future we want includes cities of opportunities for all, with access to basic services, energy, housing, transportation and more.