Things many of us take for granted—a shower before going to work, a place for our children to do homework, a safe spot to keep our belongings—simply do not exist when you don’t have a home of your own.

Homeward Trust aims to change this reality. We’re opening doors and building hope for thousands of Edmontonians, ultimately realizing our city’s shared goal of ending homelessness.

Homelessness in Edmonton

Until recently, we saw an upward trend of homeless persons in Edmonton. Homeward Trust conducts a biennial Homeless Count, which provides a point-in-time snapshot of the city’s homeless population. 

In 2012:
 

• 2,174 homeless Edmontonians were counted.

• 46% of those counted were observed to be Aboriginal
  Ethnicity was asked, rather than observed, in this count compared to previous years.
  
  
• 223 dependent children and 119 caregivers were counted
  An additional 56 youth under the age of 16 without a caregiver were also counted
  
  
• Roughly half of the total homeless were counted in the street or at an agency (Unsheltered: 1,070).
  
  
• The other half were staying at a shelter
  (Sheltered: 1,104).

Figure 1: Total Number of Homeless¹ by Count Date

Figure 2: Type of Homelessness1 by Count Date

Gender Demographics

Gender is presented for adults and independent youth only. The data excludes children for whom gender was not recorded and respondents were unknown. 

Age Demographics