"If the economy remains strong, the situation will improve."

Reality

Poverty often remains persistent over time: in 2004, more than 26,000 Alberta families with at least one full-time earner had been living in low-income households for 3 years or more. Rapid increases in housing prices and rental units in Calgary make it difficult for people experiencing poverty to find and sustain affordable housing. If rents continue to increase and rental stock continues to decrease, approximately 19,000 households in Calgary will be at risk for homelessness by 2008.

Sources: Statistics Canada, Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics SLID 1999-2004; Calgary Socio-economic Outlook 2005-2015