Itinérance cachée : définitions et mesures. Au Québec et à l’international (in French only)

The overall objective of this document is to advance knowledge on the measurement of hidden homelessness, a less statistically explored form of homelessness.

Because of the important relationship between definitions and measurement, definitions used internationally to describe homelessness, particularly hidden homelessness, are presented first, followed by an overview of various initiatives that have been undertaken to measure this form of homelessness.

Secondly, we measure the extent of hidden homelessness in Québec and draw a portrait of people who have already experienced such an episode, using data from the 2014 edition of the General Social Survey (GSS)—a population survey that was the first initiative to measure the phenomenon in Canada and in Québec.

Lastly, the scope and limitations of the 2014 GSS in measuring homelessness are explained, particularly in relation to the definition of homelessness adopted by the Québec government in its Politique nationale de lutte à l’itinérance – Ensemble, pour éviter la rue et en sortir (Gouvernement du Québec, 2014).