This report aims to address several topics. First, it discusses the opportunities related to the expansion of research at the OBM. This should help to situate the document in terms of the work done at the Old Brewery Mission. Next, it will present a background on the scale and scope of homelessness in Canada including a brief summary of possible reasons for homeless episodes. A discussion of why people become homeless helps to situate this complex problem in social, political and individual contexts for a better understanding of how these factors interact to generate and maintain vulnerabilities.