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Homeless people, it is said in Canada, do not migrate.

If someone is sleeping rough in a doorway, they’re a local who fell through the cracks—not some out-of-town drifter who came in search of warmer weather and better soup kitchens.

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“I think it’s an unfortunate myth that people come here because it’s nice outside,” said Victoria mayor Lisa Helps.

Vancouver city councillor Kerry Jang, a psychiatrist who specializes in homeless issues, laughs at the suggestion. “How do they afford to come?” he said.

“Nobody’s born homeless and travels the country looking for a homeless bed; give me a break,” he said.

But of course homeless people migrate. They move for weather, for lifestyle and for better shelter. They have easy access to transportation and the online and social networks to know where to go.

No government wants to say that helping the homeless only invites a tide of new homeless, but in cities across Western Canada, that appears to be precisely the case. A nation of homeless is heading west, and until policymakers start acknowledging it, say critics, the situation is only going to get worse for the people with homes and the homeless alike.