One in nine Canadians has been homeless or come close to it, a study released by the Salvation Army suggests.

A homeless woman on a sidewalk collects spare change in a coffee cup in downtown Vancouver in June 2007. (Andy Clark/Reuters)

Levels were highest in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where 20 per cent of respondents said they had experienced or come close to experiencing homelessness, among those aged 45 to 55 years (16 per cent) and among those with income levels under $40,000 a year (20 per cent), the report said.

Levels were lowest in Newfoundland and Quebec, at seven and five per cent, respectively.

The Salvation Army surveyed 1,000 Canadians by phone in late 2009. The results are considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Overall, "homelessness is either a real or near threat" for millions of Canadians and getting worse concluded the report, titled Poverty Shouldn't be a Life Sentence.

The Salvation Army said it saw demand for general social services spike by more than 25 per cent during the economic downturn in 2009, and it helped more than one million people with food, clothing and other assistance.

It cited a finding in Ottawa that shelter bed occupancy rates in the city were up by more than nine per cent in 2009, and shelter-bed stays were 12 per cent longer than in 2008.

A Senate subcommittee report on cities released in December acknowledged that homelessness is hard to measure. But it said witness after witness reported increases in demand for shelters and food banks, even among people with jobs.

The report's release Monday coincides with the start of the Salvation Army's month-long national Red Shield fundraising campaign.

With files from The Canadian Press