Cost of homelessness
- Managing homelessness as we have been in the past comes at a high cost. The hidden costs of homelessness include expenses for hospital stays, ambulance services, emergency room visits, and incarceration. More
- Instead of managing homelessness through emergency shelters and drop-in centres, we need to change our approach so we can end homelessness.
- Across North America, research has shown that it is more cost-effective to house homeless people and provide them with the needed supports than it is to continue as we have in the past.
- Calgary put the price tag at $134,000 per homeless person per year. The cost to supplement rent and provide supports to this population was estimated at $34,000 per person, per year.
- Estimates from other cities suggest the cost of homelessness can be as high as $150,000 per person per year, versus about $35,000 per person per year to provide housing and support.
- Over the long term, ending homelessness will actually cost less than continuing to manage it the way we have been.