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Dufferin County is drawing attention to newly released provincial data showing homelessness continues to rise across Ontario, particularly in rural and northern communities.
The data, released by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), shows nearly 85,000 Ontarians experienced homelessness in 2025, an 8% increase from 2024 and a 50% jump since 2021. AMO warns that without significant intervention, homelessness could double by 2035 and reach nearly 300,000 people during an economic downturn.
According to the report, homelessness is growing fastest outside major urban centres. Rural homelessness increased by more than 30% in the past year, while Northern Ontario saw a rise of more than 37%. Although some large urban encampments have been addressed, smaller and dispersed encampments continue to grow, with nearly 2,000 reported across Ontario in 2025, up from 1,400 the previous year.
Dufferin County says local trends mirror the provincial findings. Community-level data shows 160 individuals and families experienced homelessness in Dufferin at some point in 2024, rising to 272 in 2025. Chronic homelessness also increased locally, from 47 people in 2024 to 60 in 2025.
AMO and Dufferin County attribute the crisis to decades of underinvestment in affordable housing, income supports, and mental health and addictions services, combined with increasing economic pressures. Ontario remains the only province where responsibility for social housing has been downloaded to municipalities, with municipal investment in housing and homelessness programs reaching $2 billion in 2025.
Dufferin County is joining AMO in calling on provincial and federal governments to take long-term action, including major investments in affordable and supportive housing, mental health and addictions services, and income supports. AMO’s recommendations include $11 billion over 10 years to address chronic homelessness through new housing and prevention, and an additional $2 billion over eight years to help house people currently living in encampments.
“Dufferin County continues to support our most vulnerable community members and tackle the homelessness and housing crisis through our programs, services and advocacy, but we cannot do it alone,” says Dufferin County Warden Lisa Post. “We must take a whole-of-government approach to ensure that each person in our community and our province has a safe, warm place to call home.”
The data was compiled by HelpSeeker Technologies in partnership with AMO, the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association and the Northern Ontario Service Deliverers Association. The full report is available here.
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