Homelessness is primarily the consequence of economic and social systems that do not supply sufficient access to affordable housing, good quality jobs and a social safety net. The most recent emergence of large-scale visible homelessness in North America and in particular in large urban centres such as the Greater Toronto Area began in the late 1970s and early 1980s and continues onto today. Throughout this time period, many developed nations such as Canada experienced enormous changes in their economies. These changes brought a decline in wages for workers, decreases in the availability of affordable housing, rise in poverty, and the decline of the welfare state and social safety net. Current homelessness in the Toronto area has been directly caused by these economic changes.
