Research on Affordable Housing and Homelessness

The City of Calgary produces a variety of research products related to affordable housing and homelessness, which are summarized below. Documents can be found by clicking on the appropriate bar on the left-hand side of this page.

Biennial Count of Homeless Persons

From 1992 through 2008, The City of Calgary conducted a point-in-time census or 'count' of homeless persons every two years in May.  This enabled us to determine, to the best of our ability, the number of people in Calgary on the night of the count who did not have "a permanent residence to which they can return whenever they so choose." The definition of homelessness used by The City included people who were living on the streets, as well as those who were staying in emergency shelters or in facilities offering longer term shelter and support for people who would otherwise be living on the streets. It measured what the United Nations calls 'absolute homelessness,' meaning people who are living in the street with no physical shelter of their own, including those who spend their nights in shelters.  The findings provided a snapshot of the number of people in Calgary who were likely to be absolutely homelessness on any given night. The ninth and final biennial count of homeless persons in Calgary was held on 2008 May 14.

Fast Facts on Affordable Housing and Homelessness

The City of Calgary has produced several Fast Facts documents that highlight key information about affordable housing and homelessness in Calgary. To ensure you are using the most current report available, please check the revision date, which is shown in the upper right hand corner of the first page of each report.

Feature Articles on Affordable Housing and Homelessness

A series of five Feature Articles were written in the summer of 2004 to help put a face on people who are struggling with homelessness and to highlight the work of some of the many dedicated service providers in Calgary who are helping to make a difference in their lives.

Major Research Papers on Affordable Housing and Homelessness

The City of Calgary periodically produces or commissions Major Research Papers on topics related to affordable housing and homelessness. Several studies have been produced with the support of The City's Affordable Housing Research Fund, which is used to help build research capacity in this field among Calgary researchers in the private, non-profit and academic sectors.

Research Briefs on Housing Need

The City of Calgary conducts research on the need for affordable housing in Calgary, for renters and owners. Statistics Canada was asked to examine its 2001 Canada census data in detailed ways that might provide insight into Calgary's housing situation. The findings were reported in The City of Calgary's Research Briefs on Housing Need, which were initially produced in 2004. New information from the 2006 Canada census was provided by Statistics Canada in 2008, which has enabled The City of Calgary to update its existing Research Briefs and to add some new ones.

Essential to this research are national standards set by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), which determined that for housing to be affordable, a household should not spend more than 30% of its gross income on rental shelter costs.  In addition, CMHC has established national standards for housing adequacy (the need for major repairs) and for housing suitability (a measure of crowding), which are also explored in The City of Calgary's Research Briefs on Housing Need. These terms are explained in detail in Research Brief #02 – Housing Need: Key Facts and Definitions.

The City's Research Briefs provide detailed statistical data on housing affordability, housing adequacy, and housing suitability in Calgary for three "low-income target groups" identified by Council as renter or owner households that are in need of affordable housing.  All of these households would benefit from affordable housing because they have low income, which has been defined by Council as 65% of median household income or less (see Fast Facts #01 – The City of Calgary's Definition of Affordable Housing), and they spend 30% or more of their gross annual household income on shelter costs.

The City of Calgary's Research Briefs on Housing Need use 2006 Canada census data. The findings will remain static for five years, until after the release of housing data from the 2011 Canada census in the summer of 2013. To ensure you are using the most current report available, please check the revision date, which is shown in the upper right hand corner of the first page of each report.

Research Summaries on Affordable Housing and Homelessness

The City of Calgary produces periodic Research Summaries on subjects related to affordable housing and homelessness. Among these short reports, documents that are "data based" are updated when new data become available. To ensure you are using the most current report available, please check the revision date, which is shown in the upper right hand corner of the first page of each report.

Homelessness: From Prevention to Cure

Since January 2007, The City of Calgary has prepared a variety of reports to support the work of the Calgary Committee to End Homelessness. This information was also presented at the Community Summit on the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness that was held on April 23, 2007. That presentation, the background research on which it is based, and several related links are posted.  Information is also provided on past efforts to address homelessness in Calgary.