Report indicates homelessness on the rise in Yellowknife

A new report suggests the number of unsheltered people living in Yellowknife increased significantly between 2021 and 2024, while overall homelessness has also risen.

The city released the results of its 2024 point-in-time homeless count on Thursday.

The count documented 327 individuals experiencing homelessness in October 2024, a five-percent increase compared to the 312 people counted in April 2021 but lower than the 338 people counted in April 2018.

The number of unsheltered individuals documented in Yellowknife rose from eight in 2021’s count to 35 people in 2024. Seventeen people were considered unsheltered in 2018.

Unsheltered people are normally defined as those who are “absolutely homeless“, living on the streets or other places not intended for human habitation (instead of at a shelter, for example, or staying on a friend’s couch).

The report called the increase “a substantial shift in the composition of the homeless population,” with unsheltered individuals accounting for 11 percent of all people experiencing homelessness in 2024 compared to three percent in 2021.

That suggests shelter system gaps, access barriers and outreach needs, the report concluded, as well as a need to develop alternatives for people unable or unwilling to access traditional shelters.

The report did, however, note that seasonal differences between October and April may have contributed to the reported increase.

Advocates voiced concerns in June 2024 that Yellowknife’s shelter system was in crisis due to overcrowding. More than a dozen people were living in a tent encampment erected in the city during the summer – a camp that was forced to move on several occasions.

Tony Brushett, executive director of the Salvation Army in Yellowknife, told Cabin Radio in January 2025 the crisis had eased as cold weather hit. He said the men’s emergency shelter had not reached capacity since October 2024.

Increase in use of transitional housing

The city’s report also documented changes in housing distribution between 2021 and 2024.

Of the 327 people counted as experiencing homelessness in 2024, the report found that:

• 165 (50 percent) were living in transitional housing, a 38-percent increase from 2021;
• 87 people (27 percent) were staying at emergency shelters, a decrease of 12 percent;
• 15 people (five percent) were temporarily staying with friends or family, a decrease of 18 percent;
• 22 people (seven percent) were counted under a new “systems homeless” category that accounts for gaps in discharge planning from treatment, hospitals and corrections; and
• the remaining three people were counted as “unsure/other.”

A new transitional housing facility, which has five beds for people returning north from addictions treatment, opened in the city last month.

Systemic issues contribute to homelessness

The report found that Indigenous people continue to be overrepresented in Yellowknife’s homeless population, with 85 percent of survey respondents self-identifying as Indigenous. Comparatively, roughly 24 percent of the city’s total population was Indigenous in 2021 according to census data.

The report highlighted systemic factors contributing to homelessness including the legacy of residential schools, the foster care system, education barriers and economic instability.

Sixty-five percent of respondents said their parents attended residential school and 19 percent said they attended themselves. Thirty-five percent reported a history of foster care, saying a lack of adequate support when ageing out of the system contributed to their homelessness.

Fifteen percent of respondents said they had graduated high school and six percent said they had graduated from post-secondary school.

Income efficiency was cited as the leading factor contributing to housing loss, reported by 41 percent of respondents. Seventy-one percent of all respondents reported having no income and 23 percent reported having some form of employment.

Many respondents said they experience addictions and health issues, with 74 percent identifying substance use issues, 41 percent mental health struggles and 29 percent physical health barriers, including mobility limitations.

Eviction was also highlighted as a key contributing factor to homelessness, with a third of respondents indicating their most recent housing loss was due to eviction. The report said that indicated a critical need for eviction prevention, tenant rights education, legal support and early intervention.

Point of point-in-time count

There is a big data gap on homelessness across the NWT.

The point-in-time count intends to capture a snapshot of people experiencing homelessness in a specific location during a specific period.

It is one of the few ways homelessness trends are tracked in Yellowknife, and the city is required to complete a point-in-time count as part of the federal Reaching Home program, which provides funding to the municipality.