Visible homelessness in Quebec rose about 44 per cent since 2018 : Report

A new report has found that visible homelessness in Quebec has increased by about 44 per cent between 2018 and 2022.

The analysis by province's public health institute says homelessness increased in all the regions included in the survey but rose sharpest in certain areas outside Montreal.

The survey was carried out on Oct. 11, 2022, and counted 10,000 homeless people across the province, including 4,690 in Montreal.

But while the city had the highest number of people living in shelters or on the streets, its percentage of total homeless people in Quebec declined from 80 per cent in April 2018 to about 60 per cent.

The Outaouais region, in western Quebec, saw the biggest increase over the four-and-a-half-year period, followed by the Laurentians region, located north of Montreal, and the Montérégie region, to the city's south.

The researchers note that their report doesn't capture the true number of people without homes, including people without permanent addresses who are temporarily living with someone else or at a hotel.

Visible homelessness is defined in the report as the number of people without permanent homes and who are living on the street or in places such as cars, sheds and emergency shelters.