Social agencies and advocates say rising interest rates and high inflation are pushing more Canadians into homelessness.

Chaz Smith, who was once homeless himself, said some of the clients of his BeTheChangeYYC street outreach group have been on waiting lists for affordable housing for more than five months.

He said with interest rates and inflation on the rise, it could make the rental market more difficult to enter.

B次元官网网址淢y fear is weB次元官网网址檙e going to see people default into the rental market thatB次元官网网址檚 already crowded and weB次元官网网址檙e going to see an increase in homelessness throughout all of Canada,B次元官网网址� said Smith, who founded BeTheChangeYYC.

On an evening earlier this month in downtown Calgary, Smith and a group of volunteers were wheeling wagons full of bagged lunches, including meal replacements, vitamin powder and granola. They also handed out socks, emergency blankets, tarps and tents as temperatures that night reached about -20 C.

Before they reached the end of the block, they were surrounded by a group of about 80 peoplewaiting to be handed food and warmer clothing.

Smith and the other volunteers venture out several times a week to provide supplies for those in need.

B次元官网网址淚t is difficult when you have so many coming at once. This is fairly typical for us right now,B次元官网网址� Smith said as he greeted dozens of people, many who he knew by name.

He also spoke to new clients, including one man from Edmonton and another from Winnipeg.

Smith said his group helped more than 17,000 last year and many of them are new to life on the street.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 the scary part,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 talked to quite a few people who are new to homelessness and you know right away because theyB次元官网网址檙e asking you, B次元官网网址榳here are the shelters?B次元官网网址� They havenB次元官网网址檛 heard of the housing list and so you ask them, B次元官网网址榳here are you from?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

Tim Richter, CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, said the homeless sector is in crisis and itB次元官网网址檚 only going to get worse.

B次元官网网址淚 think weB次元官网网址檙e facing a quadruple whammy thatB次元官网网址檚 driving a wave of new homelessness and making homelessness much worse for the people who are already there,B次元官网网址� Richter said.

He said there was already an affordable housing shortage, but there are also the lingering effects of the pandemic, the higher cost of living and the opioid crisis.

B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檝e got this perfect storm of terrible news driving people into homelessness and making homelessness, as it is, much more dangerous and more lethal,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淗omelessness is a kind of a slow-motion crisis.B次元官网网址�

Food banks are also seeing a spike in need, especially in Alberta.

The Hunger Count report, which came out nationally in October, showed Alberta saw a 73 per cent increase in food bank usage since 2019 B次元官网网址� the highest across the country.

B次元官网网址淭he increase in Alberta is really just a perfect storm of low wages, loss of wages, high housing prices, high prices for food and fuel and utilities and all of that coming together at a time when the world was kind of collapsing down on top of us,B次元官网网址� said Arianna Scott, the CEO of Food Banks Alberta.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very similar across the country. Every province across the country youB次元官网网址檙e seeing increases and struggles.B次元官网网址�

Michael Pasma, the interim president of the Calgary Food Bank, said the demand is unprecedented.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e seeing a demand that weB次元官网网址檝e not seen before, so it is stretching our resources but weB次元官网网址檙e able to feed as many people who are coming to our door,B次元官网网址� Pasma said.

B次元官网网址淒emand is up. If you look at the same time last year, it would be about 30 percent higher.B次元官网网址�

He said the food bank is attempting to increase its output to almost 500 hampers a day with the busy Christmas season.

Inflation is also having a dramatic effect on older people in Canada.

Laura Tamblyn Watts, the CEO of CanAge, CanadaB次元官网网址檚 national seniorsB次元官网网址� advocacy organization, said dollars arenB次元官网网址檛 stretching as far as they did and, for the first time, even middle-income seniors are facing poverty.

B次元官网网址淒o I put my money on the heating bill or do I buy food and medications? What we are seeing can be summed up with B次元官网网址榟eat or eat.B次元官网网址� If people only have a few hundred dollars a month to manage through B次元官网网址� you donB次元官网网址檛 have a lot of choices,B次元官网网址� said Tamblyn Watts.

B次元官网网址淲hat it means is middle-income (earners) are feeling it harder than ever. (People with) lower income are facing dire circumstances, including the highest rate of homeless seniors weB次元官网网址檝e ever had.B次元官网网址�

Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press

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