The Northern Service Deliverer’s Association says a new report on homelessness is reinforcing the urgency of investing in solutions that recognize the unique housing, health and service-delivery realities of Northern communities.
Officials point to a report from the province’s Financial Accountability Office (FAO) that shows four of the top ten areas with the highest rates of homelessness in Ontario are in the north.
They include:
– Cochrane District (highest rate in Ontario) with a rate of 1,097 homeless people per 100,000 population.
– Rainy River District with a rate of 834 per 100,000
– Nipissing District with a rate of 804 per 100,000
– Thunder Bay District with a rate of 604 per 100,000.
“These numbers make it clear that Northern Ontario’s homeless problem has unique circumstances,” says Fern Dominelli, Executive Director of NOSDA. “Our communities face higher construction and operating costs, limited rental markets, long distances between communities and services, aging housing stock and significant gaps in affordable and supportive housing. We need solutions designed for the North.”
NOSDA is calling on government to develop an integrated Northern Ontario investment scenario combining housing capital, operating funding, mental health and substance use supports totalling $435.7 million annually over ten years.
That is approximately 1.3 cents for every dollar of Northern Ontario’s $34.6-billion annual GDP.
Dominelli says there’s a need to move from managing the consequences of homelessness to making the investments that prevent homelessness.
“That starts with building housing and connecting people to the health and social supports they need to remain housed,” he says.
Officials say the findings of the FAO report follow a separate NOSDA report, that found homelessness in northern Ontario increased 37.3 per cent in one year, from 5,930 people in 2024 to 8,142 people in 2025.
