FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saskatoon, SK – March 1, 2023 – A new project by the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights (CCHR) will capture the experiences of the hidden homeless population in Saskatoon to develop a framework for effective evidence-based solutions to ending hidden homelessness in Saskatoon and across Canada.
Hidden homelessness is experienced by many people across the country, but there has been great difficulty in understanding the extent of the problem as it is an invisible form of homelessness. With limited data, Statistics Canada in 2016 estimated that nearly 1 in 10 people in Canada experience hidden homelessness. Those experiencing hidden homelessness may be couch surfing with friends or family, sleeping in cars, or staying in unsafe situations just to have a roof over their heads. Some populations disproportionately experience hidden homelessness such as Indigenous peoples, women and gender-diverse individuals, or children who were involved in the child welfare system.
“Hidden homelessness occurs behind closed doors and is often invisible to the public and decision-makers,” says Bahar Shadpour, Director of Policy and Communications at CCHR. “This project is an opportunity to bring hidden homelessness into the light by convening a range of community stakeholders and developing solutions that are derived from their lived experience.”
This initiative was funded through the Solution Labs program, administered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) under the National Housing Strategy, in partnership with CT Labs and several local partners in Saskatoon. This project aims to understand and enumerate the experiences of hidden homelessness in Saskatoon. The Solution Labs program provides housing stakeholders with funding and expert innovation lab consultants to help solve complex housing problems using innovative methods and tools.
“Despite hidden homelessness being prevalent in communities across Canada, there is a lack of data on the scope and nature of the issue,” says Shadpour. “Without accurate data, the needs of this population are often not represented in current housing policies and are in effect left out of solutions that can help them find permanent housing.”
Various stakeholders from across Saskatoon’s housing system will be supporting the project to capture the journeys of those experiencing hidden homelessness and co-develop innovative strategies for collecting data to create evidence-based solutions.
Media contact:
Shelley Buckingham
Manager of Communications, Canadian Centre for Housing Rights
Email: media [at] housingrightscanada.com