Most people would agree that times are tough, especially those burning the candle at both ends to stay afloat financially.
But sometimes, working tirelessly isn’t enough to keep food on the table, let alone a roof over your head.
An underground encampment discovered in Calgary early last month shows the reality of homelessness in Alberta and the lengths some people are willing to go to survive.
A human-made tunnel dug into the ground led to the encampment, which Calgary police described as a “fully functioning” shelter.
“This was an incredibly elaborate underground structure that was highly dangerous, not only for those inhabiting it but for the surrounding community,” Sgt. Kristian Thorpe of the community engagement response team told CBC News.
The shelter was about six feet high, seven feet wide, and 10 feet long. Last week, the site was searched twice before being excavated on Thursday.
The police didn’t find anyone using the shelter, but they did find a homemade stun gun inside.
Following the discovery, Sgt. Thorpe emphasized the need to address homelessness by prioritizing affordable housing, social support systems, mental health services, and policies.
“Only through concerted efforts can we strive towards realizing the basic human right to adequate housing for all,” she said.
Sgt. Thorpe is right – housing is a basic human right. Yet, there were almost 7,000 people enduring homelessness across seven of our province’s most populous cities.
Calgary and Edmonton had the largest homeless population of the seven cities, at over 2,700 and 2,500, respectively.
Key Causes of Alberta’s Homelessness in 2024
Homelessness isn’t just a problem in big cities. Over 7,300 people experienced housing insecurity in 45 rural and remote communities across the province, according to the Rural Development Network’s (RDR’s) 2023 Alberta Housing and Services Needs Estimation Project.
If that wasn’t dystopian enough, artificial intelligence predicts that Alberta’s homeless population will explode to between 65,000 and almost 70,000 by 2030.
The Calgary Homeless Foundation cites poverty as one of the primary causes of homelessness.
“Poverty arises from economic and social inequalities based on factors outside of a person’s control, like low wages, discrimination, and a lack of work. While poverty does not always result in homelessness, homelessness is always a result of poverty,” wrote the Foundation.
Alberta has plenty of jobs, yet our province’s jobless rate continues to climb. In August, over 13,000 jobs were created.
Most of these jobs were part-time positions in real estate, food service, retail trade, finance, and accommodation.
Although there were more jobs, the unemployment rate grew from just over seven percent in July to almost eight percent in August, making Alberta the province with the third-highest unemployment rate.
Alberta is Canada’s wealthiest and fastest-growing province, so how does a problem like this happen?
“We don’t have an economic contraction. We are still growing. It’s just that we’re not growing fast enough or creating jobs fast enough to absorb the increase in the labour force,” said Mike Holden, vice president of the Business Council of Alberta.
Family Homelessness in Alberta a Concern
Whether or not Alberta’s economy is contracting is up for debate, but there’s no denying that our population growth is outpacing the availability of jobs.
Premier Danielle Smith’s “Alberta is Calling” campaign was wildly successful. Our province’s population surged to 4.8 million as of January 1, an increase of over 202,000 people.
“National drivers such as high interest rates and high national immigration are contributing to temporarily higher unemployment,” said Alberta Jobs Minister Matt Jones in a statement.
Population growth isn’t the only concern.
Alberta once had the highest minimum wage in Canada. Now, it is tied with Saskatchewan for the lowest, at $15 an hour, a rate that hasn’t changed since 2015.
Even when Alberta faced the highest inflation rate in Canada in February, our minimum wage didn’t budge.
“Working Albertans are really suffering as a result, and it’s not just the people earning minimum wage. That minimum wage is an anchor, and right now, it’s dragging everyone down in the entire wage scale,” Gil McGowan told Global News.
Landing a job is a small victory that doesn’t guarantee a roof over your head, especially if you have a family.
Using Calgary as an example, about a quarter of the city’s residents couldn’t meet their basic financial needs in 2023.
Last year, the living wage in Calgary was $23.70 per hour. Eighty-five percent of people earning $20 per hour or less were adults, and almost 40 percent had children.
The result was about 300 families in Calgary at risk of homelessness. As winter approaches, our province’s homeless populations turn to shelters for protection from the elements.
What happens when these shelters run out of space? Are Albertans, including those with families, expected to dig underground encampments?
There is no one solution to homelessness. It is a complex issue caused by many factors, and Albertans are paying the price. Working harder just for a chance to survive is no Alberta advantage.
