Without A Home: The National Youth Homelessness Survey

4.1 Housing
Housing instability is something that many young people experience prior to becoming
homeless. For many, this precarity continues in more severe ways once on the streets.
We asked young people to describe the number and range of places they had stayed in
the previous month. While almost half (44.5%) stayed in one place, most did not. Fully one
third had stayed at three or more places, and 10.2% reported staying at more than five.
Based on the Canadian Definition of Homelessness typology, youth reported experiencing
the following forms of homelessness:
TABLE 7
Where youth stayed in the past month
Housing situation
(note that 55.5% stayed in more than one place)
1) ‘Unsheltered’ refers to being absolutely homeless and
living on the streets or in places not intended for human
habitation (including rooftops, in cars, under bridges, etc.)
2) ‘Emergency sheltered’ refers to those staying in overnight
shelters for people who are homeless, as well as shelters for
those impacted by family violence
% (NUMBER)
32.3% (356)
29.2% (322)
3) ‘Provisionally accommodated’ refers to those whose
accommodation is temporary or lacks security of tenure
Staying with friends or relatives 41.3% (455)
Transitional housing 17.3% (191)
Group home or supervised residence 14.1% (155)
4) ‘At-risk of homelessness’ refers to those not technically
homeless, but whose housing situation is precarious
Motel or hotel 9% (99)
Jail or prison 2.4% (27)
Hospital/detox 2.4% (27)
Staying in own place 21.8% (241)
Staying with parents 19% (210)
Staying with boyfriend or girlfriend 17.8% (196)
WITHOUT A HOME: THE NATIONAL YOUTH HOMELESSNESS SURVEY
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