OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 8, 2026 /CNW/ -- Homelessness is hitting closer to home for more Canadians. More than one-third know someone affected by homelessness, and one in ten have personally experienced homelessness, according to new national polling that also finds strong support for government action on proven solutions.

The poll by Abacus Data on behalf of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) reveals that the percent of Canadians who know someone affected by homelessness increased 6% from just two years ago. Fully two-thirds of Canadians said they encounter homelessness at least weekly and 36% said they encounter it daily.

Encampments, people sleeping outside and concerns about public safety are highly visible. In response, Canadians want to see governments work together to resolve the crisis.

"Homelessness is hitting closer to home for more and more Canadians," said Tim Richter, President and CEO of CAEH. "They're concerned for people experiencing homelessness and they're telling us clearly they want governments to work together on solutions that achieve real and visible progress."

The survey research found that 84% of Canadians believe homelessness can be meaningfully reduced, and fully 85% agree that governments need to collaborate more effectively on the issue. But only 34% believe governments are investing enough. Large majorities support key investments, including: expanding mental health and addiction services (80%), affordable housing initiatives (77%), and supportive housing and better government coordination (76%), which suggests that mental health and addiction services should be paired with supportive housing. Far fewer think Canada can enforce its way out of the crisis.

When it comes to preventing homelessness, respondents were provided basic information about the benefits of a housing benefit targeted to those at greatest risk of losing their housing and those experiencing homelessness. 72% supported government investment in this kind of housing benefit, which CAEH has since showed could reduce homelessness by over 60%.

For additional information and insights from the CAEH-Abacus research, read Abacus Data's blog on the survey. 

SOURCE Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH)