COH-AWH-What_Would_it_Take

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SYSTEMS PREVENTION When young people were asked what would have prevented their homelessness, many youth traced these experiences back to system failures. Importantly, many youth felt that systems change is where youth homelessness prevention efforts could be most effective. Youth discussed five key systems that need to develop policies, protocols, and practices to better prevent youth homelessness: Education, Child Welfare, Healthcare and Addictions, the Youth Homelessness Sector, and Criminal Justice. CRIMINAL JUSTICE YOUTH HOMELESSNESS SECTOR EDUCATION SYSTEMS PREVENTION must transform CHILD WELFARE HEALTHCARE & ADDICTIONS System Failures Faced by Youth • Requirements and criteria to access supports, services, or benefits are often too high, leaving many youth unable to access help in various systems (e.g., healthcare, homeless services) • Youth are not provided with the practical tools, information, or resources needed to access supports (e.g., identification, transit fare, list of available services, referrals, accompaniment) • Youth under 16 are often unable to access help without parental permission • Experiences of inequity and discrimination within all systems, particularly based on race, class, disability, sexuality, and mental health status • Poor conduct and behavior by professionals in various systems, directly contributing to homelessness, re-traumatization, and social exclusion for many young people • Professionals in various systems failing to believe youth about experiences of abuse and neglect, or blaming, ignoring, or stigmatizing youth for these experiences • Professionals in various systems not trained or supported to help young people at risk of homelessness, with many public systems (e.g., healthcare, education) failing to identify youth at risk of homelessness and connect them to services or supports • Poor coordination within and between systems (e.g., between child welfare and education), with supports and services often remaining disconnected WHAT WOULD IT TAKE? 10
• Lack of education for youth on their human and legal rights • Lack of available, accessible, and affordable mental health and addiction supports for young people and their families • Difficult transitions from publicly funded institutions and systems (e.g., child protection, corrections, healthcare) in which young people are provided with limited access to income, housing, or supports to transition successfully • Experiences of abuse and neglect in foster care Youth’s Proposed Solutions • Develop regional and community-based plans to prevent and end youth homelessness • Increase accessibility, affordability, availability, and awareness of services across all systems (e.g., healthcare, the youth homelessness sector) “For me, there’s nothing that could’ve [prevented me from becoming homeless], because starting out I was already in the foster care system, and when I left the foster care system they gave me two garbage bags and told me to get the hell out.” MONTREAL YOUTH • Improve coordination and collaboration across services and systems to reduce barriers to accessing supports and services for youth and their families • Improve training and education for professionals in all systems (e.g., social workers, teachers, doctors, nurses) on how to appropriately identify and respond to young people experiencing abuse, neglect, or homelessness • Ensure all professionals are trained in anti-oppression, LGBTQ2S+ allyship, empathy, trauma-informed care, and cultural competency • Educate young people on their legal and human rights, and how to access legal supports if their rights are violated • Implement school-based mechanisms to screen for, and provide immediate supports to, youth experiencing abuse, neglect, mental health challenges, addictions, and homelessness • Provide significantly increased funding for mental health services in all schools, ensuring all students have access to these supports • Employ the principles of youth choice, youth voice, and self-determination across all systems • Invest in and expand youth housing options as an alternative to foster care placement, including housing and supports specifically for Indigenous youth, LGBTQ2S+ youth, and POC youth • Offer income supports and services to youth with child welfare involvement up to the age of 25 • Enable youth under 16 to access services and supports without parental signatures • End police profiling and criminalization of young people who are poor and homeless, including Indigenous and POC youth • Ensure there are robust, youth-centred after care plans for youth transitioning out of hospitals, rehabilitation centres, detox centres, and recovery houses WHAT WOULD IT TAKE? 11
Page 1 and 2: WHAT WOULD IT TAKE? Youth Across Ca
Page 3 and 4: This research was made possible thr
Page 5 and 6: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Are we making sig
Page 7 and 8: YOUTH’S PERSPECTIVES ON PREVENTIO
Page 9: Youth’s Proposed Solutions • In
Page 13 and 14: “My trauma led me down a wrong pa
Page 15 and 16: 5. Align ministerial, departmental,
Page 17 and 18: INTEGRATED GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS 1. W
Page 19 and 20: INTRODUCTION Youth homelessness in
Page 21 and 22: Systems change is difficult work. T
Page 23 and 24: Finally, youth homelessness prevent
Page 25 and 26: CONSULTATION PROCESS National consu
Page 27 and 28: Prior to beginning the study, resea
Page 29 and 30: 62 % Self-identified as currently e
Page 31 and 32: WHAT IS YOUTH HOMELESSNESS PREVENTI
Page 33 and 34: YOUTH’S PERSPECTIVES ON PREVENTIO
Page 35 and 36: WHAT WOULD IT TAKE? 1. STRUCTURAL P
Page 37 and 38: “I think that affordable housing
Page 39 and 40: LOW SOCIAL ASSISTANCE RATES Many yo
Page 41 and 42: LOW WAGES & TIGHT JOB MARKETS In th
Page 43 and 44: MOVING FORWARD To ensure better out
Page 45 and 46: 1.2 LACK OF HOUSING While youth vie
Page 47 and 48: Public Housing Challenges The lack
Page 49 and 50: MOVING FORWARD The solutions propos
Page 51 and 52: “Well, for me, like, because of r
Page 53 and 54: MOVING FORWARD Indigenous youth vie
Page 55 and 56: “I have friends that are in foste
Page 57 and 58: MOVING FORWARD While youth describe
Page 59 and 60: 1.5 HARMFUL SOCIETAL BELIEFS & VALU
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“A lot of systems are still set u
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ADDRESSING ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERI
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WHAT WOULD IT TAKE? 2. SYSTEMS PREV
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2.1 EDUCATION For young people who
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2. Professional Training For the mo
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Investments • Provide significant
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“Educating teachers, principals,
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Experiences in Foster Care Many you
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Difficult Transitions from Care Tra
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“My parents were good enough at l
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2.3 HEALTHCARE & ADDICTIONS For you
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An additional issue raised by many
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MOVING FORWARD Without a Home: The
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2.4 YOUTH HOMELESSNESS SECTOR In fo
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“Requirements to access help some
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“Yeah, when I first moved in [to
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PREVENTING YOUTH HOMELESSNESS IN TH
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While the recommendations below can
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2.5 CRIMINAL JUSTICE A common conce
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PREVENTING YOUTH HOMELESSNESS IN TH
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MOVING FORWARD Canadian research sh
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WHAT WOULD IT TAKE? 3. PREVENTING I
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ADDRESSING FAMILY CONFLICT, ABUSE,
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“This is real. We did not choose
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Lack of services and supports also
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MOVING FORWARD Youth across the cou
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ADDRESSING SOCIAL EXCLUSION & ISOLA
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“I’m just trying to say that, i
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ADDRESSING VIOLENCE IN THE COMMUNIT
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YOUTH’S MESSAGES TO ALL LEVELS OF
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We need to dramatically shift our a
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RECOMMENDATIONS 1 GOVERNMENT OF CAN
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5. Align ministerial, departmental,
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2. Embed youth homelessness prevent
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INTEGRATED GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS 1. W
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3. Require that all school boards a
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5. Offer comprehensive, youth-focus
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8. Systematically investigate and e
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Provincial/Territorial Ministries R
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6. Seek to provide highly integrate
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3. Foster meaningful youth engageme
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Gaetz, S., O’Grady, B., Kidd, S.,
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Statistics Canada. (2011). National
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