Medicine Hat is reporting progress in helping people secure permanent housing, but a new community report shows that chronic homelessness has continued to increase in the Alberta city.

The latest homelessness report says 160 people were moved into permanent homes during the 2025–26 fiscal year. Another 107 people and households received assistance that helped them remain in their existing homes, potentially preventing them from becoming homeless.

Despite those gains, the report identified a worrying trend involving people experiencing long-term homelessness. The number rose to 118 during the latest reporting year, compared with 105 the previous year. The figure is also substantially higher than the 43 recorded during the 2019–20 baseline year.

The local housing organization behind the report says the figures are intended to show both where services are succeeding and where additional gaps remain. The organization serves as the local lead for a federally funded program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness.

Keeping people in their current homes is an important part of the strategy because preventing a housing loss can reduce the need for emergency shelters and other crisis services later.

However, the increase in chronic homelessness suggests that some residents continue to face complex barriers that make it difficult to obtain or maintain stable housing.

The organization has established a longer-term target of reducing chronic homelessness to 21 people by 2027–28. Reaching that goal will require continued access to housing, prevention programs and support services.

The latest figures therefore present a mixed picture for Medicine Hat: hundreds of people are receiving housing assistance, while the number experiencing persistent homelessness remains a major challenge for the community.