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The widely held stereotype that people experiencing homelessness would be more likely to spend extra cash on drugs, alcohol and “temptation goods” has been upended by a study that found a majority used a $7,500 payment mostly on rent, food, housing, transit and clothes.

The biases punctured by the study highlight the difficulties in developing policies to reduce homelessness, say the Canadian researchers behind it.

Matthew Hayes, a sociology professor at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, N.B., said between the 2016 and the 2021 census, Halifax lost 8,140 housing units priced below $1,000 a month. This is a 25 per cent reduction in the stock.

"If you're looking for a low-income apartment or a low-rent apartment, they're almost impossible to find in Halifax," said Hayes, whose work focuses on gentrification and urban studies. "They're disappearing much faster than they're being replaced."

The Alberta government is making a navigation and support centre to provide safe shelter for the homeless in Edmonton permanent and has announced plans for a similar facility to be created in Calgary.

The UCP government announced it was setting up the centre in mid-January, largely to deal with the hundreds of homeless people displaced after Edmonton police dismantled eight encampments deemed by the city to be high risk.

Vivre en logement locatif contribue à l'appauvrissement d'un nombre croissant de ménages, estime Cédric Dussault, qui représente des locataires. Il réagit au rapport déposé par la Société canadienne d'hypothèque et de logement (SCHL) qui relève notamment que le loyer moyen a augmenté de 7,9 % depuis un an dans le Grand Montréal.

Homelessness, in turn, amplifies poor mental health. The stress of experiencing homelessness may exacerbate previous mental illness and encourage anxiety, fear, depression, sleeplessness, and substance use.

The needs of people with mental illness who experience homelessness are similar to those without mental illnesses: physical safety, education, transportation, affordable housing, and affordable medical and dental treatment.

When providing care to those experiencing homelessness, it is essential to create a non-threatening and supportive atmosphere, address basic needs (e.g., food and shelter), and provide accessible care.

McCrae is among a growing number of seniors who are impacted by evictions in the form of renovations or demolitions — and struggling to afford housing across Canada, according to CanAge, a national seniors' advocacy organization.

"Older people, particularly those with accessibility needs, are in a pinch like never before in the rental market," said Laura Tamblyn Watts, the CEO of CanAge.

Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy is a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness across Canada. This program provides funding to urban, Indigenous, rural and remote communities to help them address their local homelessness needs.

How many organizations across Canada offer Shelter Diversion (SD) and Eviction Prevention (EP) programs and what's the key to their success?

That’s what our new project aims to discover, with your help! Tell us about your SD or EP program, so that together we can create tools to help other communities implement successful SD and EP programs to prevent and end homelessness.

Heavy machinery was at the site of a homeless encampment at the Vancouver foot of the Oak Street Bridge on Friday, as crews worked to enforce an order clearing people who were sheltering there.

Contractors hired by the province removed piles of refuse and several propane tanks, amid protests from housing activists.

“This housing crisis was not caused by unhoused people and it’s time to stop punishing unhoused people for existing and for this housing crisis,” Ryan Sudds, an organizer with Stop the Sweeps, told media.