Without A Home: The National Youth Homelessness Survey

Money from family and friends
Receiving money from family and/or friends was linked to youth’s age, education, age they
first left home, and whether they were Indigenous. With respect to education, 48.8% of
youth who obtained money from family or friends had less than a grade 9 education. On
the other hand, among youth who had some post-secondary education, 33.3% obtained
money from inter-personal networks. The age at which a young person left home was
strongly related to this income source. Findings indicated that 56% of youth who left home
before they were 13 received money from family and friends, compared to 33.3% who left
home after they were 20. Two other variables were also linked to this income source: age
and Indigenous status. Indigenous youth and young youth were both more likely to obtain
money from friends and family than older youth and non-Indigenous youth.
TABLE 14
Money from family and friends by education level,
age when first left home, Indigenous status, and age
Age First
Indigenous
Education %
Left Home %
Status % Age %
< Grade 9 48.8% < 13 56.0% Indigenous 46.5% < 16 67.4%
Some High
School
42.8% 13-15 45.2% Non-
Indigenous
37.3% 17-18 48.1%
High School
Graduate
38.5% 16-17 39.4% 19-20 38.5%
Post-Secondary 33.3% 18-20 31.6% 21+ 36.8%
21+ 33.3%
(n = 425; p