Measuring Indigenous homelessness: Findings from Our Health Counts Toronto

Our Health Counts (OHC) Toronto, an Indigenous population database which addresses gaps in urban health information, was used to measure Thistle's (2017) 12 dimensions of Indigenous homelessness. Using this framework, we examine the sociodemographic characteristics of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis (FNIM) adults living in Toronto, the 12 dimensions as experienced by this population, and the distinctions between FNIM adults who were and those who were not experiencing physical homelessness.

Respondent-driven sampling (RDS)-II proportions and 95% confidence intervals were produced from the database (n = 915 FNIM adults) to describe key sociodemographic characteristics of the population and to estimate the proportion and number of dimensions of Indigenous homelessness experienced by FNIM adults. Results were compared between those who were and those who were not living physically homeless.

This study shows that 27.3% of FNIM adults in Toronto were living physically homeless. The proportion of homelessness was significantly higher among males, adults aged 26 to 54, and unemployed individuals. Using the OHC database, 7 of the 12 dimensions were measurable. Almost all FNIM adults had experienced one or more of the 7 measurable dimensions. The most common were cultural disintegration and loss, mental disruption and balance, contemporary geographic separation, and relocation and mobility. These dimensions were significantly more common among FNIM adults experiencing physical homelessness.

Results show that FNIM adults living physically homeless are more likely to experience other dimensions of homelessness. Using existing data, 5 of the 12 dimensions were not measurable. This points to a critical need to develop new survey tools to fully understand the historical, environmental, social, political, spiritual, and emotional factors that influence pathways into homelessness among FNIM populations.