Officials with a downtown social-service organization are cautioning Calgarians not to categorize all homeless people as common criminals.

Some business owners say their patrons are afraid to go downtown because of the increase in Calgary's homeless population.

But Del Bannerman, development officer with the Mustard Seed, says it's a misconception to blame the homeless for downtown crime.

"The average homeless person is not dangerous," Bannerman told CBC News. "There may be some … folks hanging around that aren't such good characters, who might be doing drugs or something like that — but they're not necessarily the people who are down and out [and] looking for housing."

Bannerman is concerned that a lack of knowledge about the issues surrounding homelessness may lead to a greater bias against people living on the street.

One Calgary woman said she feels that bias every day.

"Florence" and her two small children have been searching for housing for months. She explains how many people will cross to the other side of the street just to avoid her.

"I don't know what they have to be worried about. I mean, we're homeless, but we're average people," she said.

But Bannerman and her colleagues at the Mustard Seed aren't surprised that people are so quick to label the homeless as criminals.

"Unfortunately a lot of people that are on the street have mental health issues so they can be intimidating," she said.

Meanwhile, a new study by the National Council on Welfare shows that people who receive welfare in Canada are living far below the poverty line.

It says welfare payments have been cut in some provinces over the past decade, even as the cost of living has gone up.

In Alberta, a single person on welfare receives about $5,000 per year.

Police don't keep statistics about crimes committed by people without a fixed address, but what is known is that the number of homeless people continues to rise.