OTTAWA - A new research report suggests an extra $46 per Canadian a year could dramatically reduce homelessness.
Researchers from York University and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness say the problem touches an estimated 235,000 Canadians and costs the economy $7 billion a year.
But they say despite billions in funding so far, there hasn't been a noticeable decline in the ranks of those without permanent shelter.
The report says the main reason is a 46-per-cent decrease in federal investment in affordable housing over the last 25 years.
The researchers say increasing federal investments by $1.7 billion a year through tax credits, benefits and direct investment in the construction could add thousands of new housing units.
The report says governments need to shift their focus from managing the problem with emergency services to a strategy that emphasizes prevention.
