Data from a new report has found the homeless crisis is getting worse, increasing by 37.3 per cent in northern Ontario in the last year, compared to 7.8 per cent in the province as a whole. “The updated findings show that homelessness continues to rise faster than housing supply, prevention, and support systems can respond, with northern Ontario experiencing the most severe impacts,” said a news release Tuesday from the Northern Ontario Service Deliverers Association (NOSDA). “Since 2021, homelessness in the north has increased by approximately 117.5 per cent, more than double the provincial rate. While northern Ontario represents five per cent of Ontario’s population, it now accounts for nearly 10 per cent of all known homelessness in the province.” The data is included in a report called ‘Municipalities Under Pressure: One Year Later,’ and was released by NOSDA, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, and the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA). “In just one year, the number of people experiencing homelessness in northern Ontario rose from 5,930 to 8,142, highlighting the widening gap between need and system capacity,” the news release said. “The report confirms that homelessness in northern Ontario is increasingly shaped by structural housing shortages, not short-term shocks.” Michelle Boileau, mayor of Timmins and NOSDA chair, said the data shows a disturbing but not unexpected trend. “One year after we warned that homelessness would continue to grow without sustained, coordinated action, the data confirms that northern Ontario is now facing a deepening systems failure — with serious consequences for people, communities, and local economies,” Boileau said in the release. In 2025, the report said that 13,104 households were on community housing waitlists in northern Ontario, up from 8,467 in 2021. “A more than 50 per cent increase in just four years,” the release said. “These pressures are contributing to longer shelter stays, increased chronic homelessness and rising system costs across health, emergency and social services.” The report also found that 40.7 per cent of homeless people are Indigenous, “reflecting long-standing systemic barriers and the need for Indigenous led, culturally appropriate housing and homelessness solutions developed in partnership with Indigenous communities.” In addition to exacerbating homelessness, the lack of housing “makes it harder to attract and retain workers, support business growth, and sustain local economic development,” the release said. “Persistent homelessness reduces labour-market participation, strains municipal budgets and diverts resources from infrastructure, housing supply, and community-building investments that support long-term economic resilience.” If current trends continue, the number of homeless people in northern Ontario will rise to 16,900 people by 2035 – and 27,500 if there is an economic downturn. “If we want to reduce homelessness, strengthen communities, and support economic growth in northern Ontario, we must move beyond managing crisis conditions and invest in system capacity that delivers long-term housing stability,” Boileau said. “The cost of inaction, both human and economic, will only continue to grow.”
