Shelter Capacity Report 2020

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank service providers and Community Entities for their collaboration in the development of the National Service Provider List. This support is key to advancing the understanding of homelessness in Canada.

Introduction

The Shelter Capacity Report is a descriptive account of capacity statistics for emergency homeless shelters in Canada. The report provides information on the number of emergency shelter facilities and permanent beds for each province, territory, and community. In addition, the appendices include overviews of transitional housing facilities and domestic violence shelters. The Homelessness Policy Directorate of Infrastructure Canada prepares this report annually using information obtained from the National Service Provider List. The National Service Provider List is a comprehensive listing of homeless shelters in Canada maintained by the Directorate.

The Directorate conducted a comprehensive update of the emergency shelters in 2020 between August and December 2020. For this process, Community Entities and Service Canada in the region of Quebec updated and validated information for the services in their community. Additional information was obtained from community organizations and publicly available sources to ensure accuracy of findings.

Scope of the data

The scope of this report excludes shelters that are not primarily for people experiencing homelessness, including shelters for specific populations (for example, immigrants/refugees or pregnant women). It also excludes motel/hotel programs, supportive housing, and correctional shelters data.

Data in this report only covers the pre-pandemic information (as of February 2020). Further analysis will follow on the impact of the pandemic on the capacity of the shelter system in Canada. This will include information on temporary COVID-19 response shelters, and measures taken by the homelessness sector to follow social distancing requirements.

For this report, all services offered by an umbrella organization to a specific target population, and located at the same address, have been merged as one shelter. As a result, the number of shelters listed in this report may be slightly lower, in some cases, than the number reported in the 2020 National Service Provider List.

Some fluctuations in the reported number of shelters and beds between 2019 and 2020 may reflect administrative changes in updating the type of service or geographical location of service providers rather than actual changes in national shelter capacity.

Types of shelters

Emergency shelters

Facilities that provide temporary, short-term accommodation for homeless individuals and families. This may or may not include other services such as food, clothing or counselling. Motel and hotel programs are excluded.

Transitional housing

Facilities that provide longer-term temporary shelter with a greater intensity of support services than emergency shelters. Transitional housing is an intermediate step between emergency shelter and permanent housing. Support services help clients to gain the stability and self-sufficiency needed to maintain permanent housing.

Domestic violence shelters

Facilities that provide temporary shelter to individuals and/or families fleeing domestic abuse or the threat of violence that function either as a crisis capacity or as transitional housing.

Clientele served

Emergency shelters, transitional housing, and domestic violence shelter are further categorized according to the clients they serve:

  • men’s shelters provide services to adult males. Some also accept youth
  • women’s shelters provide services to adult females. Some also accept youth
  • general shelters provide services to adult males and females. Some also accept youth
  • youth shelters provide services to youth. Shelters have varying definitions of youth, often ranging from 12 to 29 years of age
  • family shelters provide services to families and adults with dependents. Some also accept single adult women without dependents

National emergency shelter capacity overview

Figure 1: Total number of emergency shelters and permanent emergency shelter beds in Canada Total number of emergency shelters and permanent emergency shelter beds in Canada
Text description of figure 1

Total number of emergency shelters and permanent emergency shelter beds in Canada.

There are 418 emergency shelters and 16,009 permanent beds in Canada.

Emergency shelter beds by clientele served

  • More than two fifths (41%) of shelter beds are in general shelters that serve both men and women. This is an increase relative to the proportion identified in 2019 (37%)
  • Although there are a similar number of shelters for men (77) and for women (71), men's shelters account for a greater percentage of all shelter beds (27%) compared to women's shelters (13%)
  • Family shelters account for 10% of shelter beds
  • Although shelters that exclusively serve youth make up 21% of all shelters, they only account for 9% of all shelter beds
Figure 2: Emergency shelter beds in Canada by clientele served Emergency shelter beds in Canada by clientele served
Text description of figure 2
Clientele Percentage (%)
General 41
Men 27
Women 13
Youth 9
Families 10

Proportion of shelters and beds by community size

  • A significant proportion of shelters (43%) are located in small communities (populations less than 300,000)
  • However, the majority of shelter beds (78%) are in large communities (populations of greater than 300,000) 
  • The median number of beds per shelter in small communities is 16, while the median number for large communities is 35
Figure 3: Proportion of emergency shelters and beds in large and small communities in Canada Proportion of emergency shelters and beds in large and small communities in Canada
Text description of figure 3
Shelters Proportion (%)
Small communities (population less than 300,000) 43
Large communities (population more than 300,000) 57
Beds Proportion (%)
Small communities (population less than 300,000) 22
Large communities (population more than 300,000) 78

Number of emergency shelter beds by province and territory

  • The majority of shelter beds (89%) are in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec
  • Almost half of all emergency shelter beds (46%) are located in Ontario
Figure 4: Number of emergency shelter beds by province and territory Number of emergency shelter beds by province and territory
Text description of figure 4
Province Number of emergency shelter beds
Ontario 7,351
Alberta 2,784
British Columbia 2,534
Quebec 1,658
Manitoba 436
Saskatchewan 407
New Brunswick 253
Nova Scotia 243
Newfoundland and Labrador 125
Northwest Territories 88
Yukon 59
Nunavut 53
Prince Edward Island 18

Number of emergency shelter beds by population of 10,000

  • The northern territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut) have the highest number of shelter beds per capita
  • Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador rank lowest in terms of emergency shelter capacity per capita
  • The national number of emergency shelter beds per 10,000 people is 4.6
Figure 5: Number of emergency shelters beds by population of 10,000 Number of emergency shelters beds by population of 10,000

Source: Statistics Canada, 2017. Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2016 Census.

Text description of figure 5
Province Beds by population of 10,000
Alberta 6.8
British Columbia 5.5
Manitoba 3.4
New Brunswick 3.4
Newfoundland and Labrador 2.4
Northwest Territories 21.1
Nova Scotia 2.6
Nunavut 14.7
Ontario 5.5
Prince Edward Island 1.3
Quebec 2.0
Saskatchewan 3.7
Yukon 16.4

National summary: Emergency shelters (2020)

Table 1: National summary - Emergency shelters (2020)
Province and territory 2020
Shelters		 2020
Beds		 2019
Shelters		 2019
Beds		 2018
Shelters		 2018
Beds
Alberta 30 2,784 38 3,258 35 3,304
British Columbia 79 2,534 79 2,336 78 2,170
Manitoba 16 436 12 403 13 650
New Brunswick 8 253 8 180 9 157
Newfoundland and Labrador 14 125 14 146 7 67
Northwest Territories 3 88 3 82 3 82
Nova Scotia 11 243 11 225 9 220
Nunavut 3 53 2 36 2 44
Ontario 160 7,351 159 7,175 149 6,898
Prince Edward Island 2 18 1 7 1 7
Quebec 74 1,658 76 1,901 65 1,757
Saskatchewan 15 407 17 483 18 476
Yukon 3 59 3 39 3 27
Canada 418 16,009* 423 16,271 392 15,859

*There was a national reduction of 262 emergency beds from 2019 to 2020.

Emergency shelters by clientele served (2020)

Table 2: Emergency shelters by clientele served (2020)
Province or territory General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds     Women's shelters Women's beds     Youth shelters Youth beds     Family shelters Family beds     Total shelters Total beds    
Alberta 14 2,180 2 150 4 181 8 146 2 127 30 2,784
British Columbia 46 1,740 11 436 9 201 11 127 2 30 79 2,534
Manitoba 11 338 1 3 0 0 2 26 2 69 16 436
New Brunswick 3 170 2 52 2 23 1 8 0 0 8 253
Newfoundland and Labrador 10 90 0 0 0 0 3 20 1 15 14 125
Northwest Territories 1 24 1 49 0 0 1 15 0 0 3 88
Nova Scotia 4 67 2 110 3 42 2 24 0 0 11 243
Nunavut 0 0 2 41 1 12 0 0 0 0 3 53
Ontario 36 1,430 42 2,649 32 1,166 30 762 20 1,344 160 7,351
Prince Edward Island 0 0 1 10 1 8 0 0 0 0 2 18
Quebec 25 419 6 689 14 226 25 292 4 32 74 1,658
Saskatchewan 2 56 6 175 5 156 2 20 0 0 15 407
Yukon 1 45 1 3 0 0 1 11 0 0 3 59
Canada 153 6,559 77 4,367 71 2,015 86 1,451 31 1,617 418 16,009

Emergency shelters and shelter beds by community (2020)

Alberta

Table 3: Emergency shelters and shelter beds, Alberta
Community General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Calgary 4 1,591 1 80 2 45 1 18 2 127 10 1,861
Edmonton 1 200 1 70 2 136 3 91 0 0 7 497
Grande Prairie 1 96 0 0 0 0 1 12 0 0 2 108
Lac La Biche 1 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 9
Lethbridge 1 80 0 0 0 0 1 8 0 0 2 88
Medicine Hat 1 30 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 0 2 35
Red Deer 2 72 0 0 0 0 1 12 0 0 3 84
Strathmore 1 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 20
Wood Buffalo 2 82 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 82
Total 14 2,180 2 150 4 181 8 146 2 127 30 2,784*

*There was an overall reduction of 474 beds from 2019 to 2020.

British Columbia

Table 4: Emergency shelters and shelter beds, British Columbia
Community General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Abbotsford 2 78 0 0 0 0 1 6 0 0 3 84
Campbell River 1 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 22
Chilliwack 4 186 0 0 0 0 1 9 0 0 5 195
Courtenay 1 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 18
Dawson Creek 1 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8
Duncan 1 30 0 0 1 15 0 0 0 0 2 45
Fort Nelson 0 0 1 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7
Fort St. John 1 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 24
Hope 1 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 20
Kamloops 1 55 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 2 59
Kelowna 0 0 1 60 1 20 1 10 0 0 3 90
Mission 1 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 27
Nanaimo 0 0 1 24 1 14 1 8 0 0 3 46
Nelson 1 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 17
Penticton 1 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 30
Port Alberni 1 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 18
Prince George 2 52 1 21 0 0 1 10 0 0 4 83
Quesnel 1 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 17
Sechelt 1 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 24
Squamish 1 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 15
Terrace 1 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16
Vancouver 19 906 6 303 5 127 5 80 2 30 37 1,446
Victoria 3 165 1 21 1 25 0 0 0 0 5 211
Williams Lake 1 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 12
Grand Total 46 1,740 11 436 9 201 11 127 2 30 79 2,534*

*There was an overall increase of 198 beds from 2019 to 2020.

Manitoba

Table 5: Emergency shelters and shelter beds, Manitoba
Community General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Brandon 2 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 3 45
Dawson 2 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 21
Flin Flon 1 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 15
Steinbach 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4
Swan River 1 8 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 11
Thompson 1 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 24
Winnipeg 3 230 0 0 0 0 2 26 1 60 6 316
Total 11 338 1 3 0 0 2 26 2 69 16 436*

*There was an overall increase of 33 beds from 2019 to 2020.

New Brunswick

Table 6: Emergency shelters and shelter beds, New Brunswick
Community General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Bathurst 1 19 0 0 0 0 1 8 0 0 2 27
Fredericton 0 0 1 27 1 13 0 0 0 0 2 40
Moncton 2 151 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 151
Saint John 0 0 1 25 1 10 0 0 0 0 2 35
Total 3 170 2 52 2 23 1 8 0 0 8 253*

*There was an overall increase of 73 beds from 2019 to 2020.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Table 7: Emergency shelters and shelter beds, Newfoundland and Labrador
Community General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Happy Valley-Goose Bay 1 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8
Natuashish 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 1 3
St. John's 8 78 0 0 0 0 2 17 1 15 11 110
Stephenville 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4
Total 10 90 0 0 0 0 3 20 1 15 14 125*

*There was an overall reduction of 21 beds from 2019 to 2020.

Northwest Territories

Table 8: Emergency shelters and shelter beds, Northwest Territories
Community General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Yellowknife 1 24 1 49 0 0 1 15 0 0 3 88
Total 1 24 1 49 0 0 1 15 0 0 3 88*

*There was an overall increase of six beds from 2019 to 2020.

Nova Scotia

Table 9: Emergency shelters and shelter beds, Nova Scotia
Community General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Halifax 1 15 2 110 2 36 1 20 0 0 6 181
New Glasgow 1 8 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 2 12
Sydney 1 28 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 2 34
Truro 1 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16
Total 4 67 2 110 3 42 2 24 0 0 11 243*

*There was an overall increase of 18 beds from 2019 to 2020.

Nunavut

Table 10: Emergency shelters and shelter beds, Nunavut
Community General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Iqaluit 0 0 2 41 1 12 0 0 0 0 3 53
Total 0 0 2 41 1 12 0 0 0 0 3 53*

*There was an overall increase of 17 men beds from 2019 to 2020.

Ontario

Table 11: Emergency shelters and shelter beds, Ontario
Community General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Barrie-Simcoe 2 38 2 44 1 18 1 17 1 36 7 153
Belleville 1 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 21
Brant-Brantford 1 40 1 20 1 10 1 18 0 0 4 88
Cobourg 1 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 22
Cochrane 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6
Dufferin Region 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 20 0 0 1 20
Durham Region 0 0 1 40 1 55 1 13 0 0 3 108
Elliot Lake 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6
Halton Region 1 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 32
Hamilton 0 0 3 194 3 55 1 21 1 80 8 350
Kenora 1 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 18
Kingston 1 29 0 0 0 0 1 15 1 19 3 63
Lambton County 1 25 1 23 0 0 1 9 1 4 4 61
Lindsay 1 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 19
London 3 57 2 198 1 20 0 0 1 41 7 316
Niagara Region 2 75 2 34 2 40 2 20 2 21 10 190
Nipissing (North Bay) 1 19 1 7 1 10 0 0 0 0 3 36
Ottawa 1 34 3 467 2 101 1 24 2 201 9 827
Peel Region 1 119 1 86 0 0 2 60 1 225 5 490
Peterborough 0 0 1 40 1 12 1 47 0 0 3 99
Red Lake 1 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 14
Sault Ste. Marie 0 0 1 23 0 0 0 0 1 19 2 42
Sioux Lookout 1 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 26
Sudbury 1 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 26 2 56
Thunder Bay 1 42 1 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 59
Timmins 1 42 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 42
Toronto 8 518 16 1,317 15 743 11 415 5 536 55 3,529
Waterloo Region 1 78 1 51 0 0 2 27 1 66 5 222
Wellington-Guelph 1 5 1 22 1 16 1 14 0 0 4 57
Windsor 2 105 1 24 2 58 0 0 0 0 5 187
Woodstock 1 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 2 32
York Region 0 0 1 30 1 28 3 42 1 60 6 160
Total 36 1,430 42 2,649 32 1,166 30 762 20 1,344 160 7,351*

*There was an overall increase of 176 beds from 2019 to 2020.

Prince Edward Island

Table 12: Emergency shelters and shelter beds, Prince Edward Island
Community General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Charlottetown 0 0 1 10 1 8 0 0 0 0 2 18
Total 0 0 1 10 1 8 0 0 0 0 2 18*

*There was an overall increase of 11 beds from 2019 to 2020.

Quebec

Table 13: Emergency shelters and shelter beds, Quebec
Community General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Alma 1 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8
Drummondville 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 1 9 2 18
Fermont 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6
Gatineau 1 55 0 0 0 0 2 18 1 9 4 82
Joliette 1 8 0 0 0 0 2 21 0 0 3 29
La Pocatière 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 0 0 1 9
Mont-Laurier 1 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 9
Montreal 6 117 4 625 10 185 9 133 1 7 30 1,067
Pointe-à-la-Croix 1 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7
Quebec City Region 2 50 1 39 3 34 5 57 0 0 11 180
Rimouski 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 0 0 1 10
Rivière-du-Loup 1 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 9
Rouyn-Noranda 1 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 15
Saguenay 2 4 1 25 1 7 0 0 0 0 4 36
Saint-Georges 1 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 23
Saint-Hyacinthe 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 0 0 1 9
Salaberry-de-Valleyfield 1 20 0 0 0 0 1 9 1 7 3 36
Sept-Îles 1 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 12
Sherbrooke 1 18 0 0 0 0 2 17 0 0 3 35
Trois-Rivières 2 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 30
Val D'or 1 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 28
Total 25 419 6 689 14 226 25 292 4 32 74 1,658*

*There was an overall reduction of 243 beds from 2019 to 2020.

Saskatchewan

Table 14: Emergency shelters and shelter beds, Saskatchewan
Community General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Lloydminster 0 0 1 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 28
Moose Jaw 0 0 1 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 10
North Battleford 1 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 34
Prince Albert 1 22 0 0 1 48 0 0 0 0 2 70
Regina 0 0 2 50 2 38 1 15 0 0 5 103
Saskatoon 0 0 2 87 2 70 1 5 0 0 5 162
Total 2 56 6 175 5 156 2 20 0 0 15 407*

*There was an overall reduction of 76 beds from 2019 to 2020.

Yukon

Table 15: Emergency shelters and shelter beds, Yukon
Community General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Dawson City 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3
Whitehorse 1 45 0 0 0 0 1 11 0 0 2 56
Total 1 45 1 3 0 0 1 11 0 0 3 59*

*There was an overall increase of 20 beds from 2019 to 2020.

Appendix A: National summary – Transitional housing shelters

Table 16: National summary – Transitional Housing shelters
Province or territory Total shelters 2020 Total beds 2020 Total shelters 2019 Total beds 2019 Total shelters 2018 Total beds 2018
Alberta 38 1,108 36 1,135 37 1,177
British Columbia 41 1,179 33 972 33 901
Manitoba 11 441 10 349 10 229
New Brunswick 7 48 4 37 2 14
Newfoundland and Labrador 4 32 4 102 4 102
Northwest Territories 5 97 5 98 3 63
Nova Scotia 10 125 10 128 8 119
Nunavut* 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ontario 116 2,128 106 2,134 104 2,188
Prince Edward Island* 0 0 0 0 0 0
Quebec 116 2,358 114 2,428 114 2,522
Saskatchewan 20 235 23 309 22 328
Yukon 2 4 1 2 1 2
Canada 370 7,755** 364 7,694 338 7,645

*There were no transitional housing facilities identified Nunavut and Prince Edward Island in 2020.

**There was a national increase of 61 transitional beds from 2019 to 2020.

Appendix B: Transitional housing by clientele served (2020)

Table 17: Transitional housing by clientele served (2020)
Province or territory General shelters General beds Men's shelters Men's beds Women's shelters Women's beds Youth shelters Youth beds Family shelters Family beds Total shelters Total beds
Alberta 6 90 8 616 7 194 15 136 2 72 38 1,108
British Columbia 26 838 5 136 5 127 5 78 0 0 41 1,179
Manitoba 5 274 2 58 1 55 3 54 0 0 11 441
New Brunswick 2 12 0 0 1 8 4 28 0 0 7 48
Newfoundland and Labrador 1 3 0 0 1 4 2 25 0 0 4 32
Northwest Territories 1 10 1 32 2 42 1 13 0 0 5 97
Nova Scotia 0 0 2 20 3 41 5 64 0 0 10 125
Nunavut 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ontario 20 457 22 600 24 349 42 496 8 226 116 2,128
Prince Edward Island 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Quebec 24 436 18 714 29 670 41 499 4 39 116 2,358
Saskatchewan 5 82 3 40 4 54 8 59 0 0 20 235
Yukon 0 0 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4
Canada 90 2,202 63 2,220 77 1,544 126 1,452 14 337 370 7,755

Appendix C: National summary – Domestic violence shelters*

Table 18: National summary – Domestic violence shelters
Province or territory Total shelters 2020 Total beds 2020 Total shelters 2019 Total beds 2019 Total shelters 2018 Total beds 2018
Alberta 52 1,329 54 1,291 46 1,223
British Columbia 109 1,329 132 1,259 93 953
Manitoba 19 414 23 385 17 364
New Brunswick 18 303 18 303 18 298
Newfoundland and Labrador 14 191 21 176 15 176
Northwest Territories 6 44 6 44 6 44
Nova Scotia 16 242 17 211 15 192
Nunavut 4 41 5 41 5 41
Ontario 134 2,629 136 2,510 119 2,466
Prince Edward Island 3 43 3 45 3 45
Quebec 104 1,466 109 1,370 95 1,360
Saskatchewan 16 277 15 238 14 283
Yukon 8 101 6 52 5 49
Canada 503 8,409** 545 7,925 451 7,494

*The breakdown by clientele served is not included for domestic violence shelters, as the vast majority of beds serve women with, or without children.

**There was a national increase of 484 domestic violence shelter beds from 2019 to 2020.

Appendix D: Glossary

Emergency shelters
Facilities that provide temporary, short-term accommodation for homeless individuals and families. This may or may not include other services such as food, clothing or counselling. This excludes motel and hotel programs.
Domestic violence shelters
Facilities that provide temporary shelter to individuals and/or families fleeing domestic abuse or the threat of violence that functions either as a crisis capacity or as transitional housing.
Family shelters
Facilities that provide temporary, short-term accommodation specifically for families.
General shelters
Facilities that provide services to adult males and females. Some also accept youth.
Homelessness
The living situation of an individual or family who does not have stable, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means and ability of acquiring a home.
Large communities
Communities with a population greater than 300,000.
Men's shelters
Facilities that provide services to adult males. Some also accept youth.
Service providers
Organizations that provide services to homeless individuals and families, and persons at risk of homelessness.
Small communities
Communities with a population of less than 300,000.
Transitional housing
Facilities that provide longer-term temporary shelter with a greater intensity of support services than emergency shelters. Transitional housing is an intermediate step between emergency shelter and permanent housing. Support services help clients to gain the stability and self-sufficiency needed to maintain permanent housing. Stays are typically between 3 months and 3 years.
Youth shelters
Facilities that provide services to youth. Shelters have varying definitions of youth, often ranging from 12 to 29 years of age.
Women's shelters
Facilities that provide services to adult females. Some also accept youth.

References

Statistics Canada. (2017). "Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables, 2016 Census" Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-402-X2016001. Ottawa, Ontario. February 8.