COH-AWH-What_Would_it_Take

MOVING FORWARD
Canadian research shows that youth who are
homeless are almost six times more likely to be
victims of violent crime than the general population
(Gaetz et al., 2016).
However, few youth reported turning to the police when they were
victimized. Why? According to many youth in this study, it is an
issue of trust. Through their experiences of being ignored, shamed,
or silenced when they sought help for family violence, youth
learned that the police would not protect them. For some, this
was further emphasized when they experienced police profiling or
criminalization because of their race and class. These experiences
may contribute to a general distrust of all state or government
systems, causing some youth to further distance themselves
from services that might actually help escape homelessness.
More broadly, these experiences suggest that class, race, and age
significantly affect one’s access to justice in Canada.
The amount of
times that I’ve had
to call a cop … once
they deescalate the
situation, they just
leave. They don’t ask
how I am doing …
Social services didn’t
come to my school the
next day. I was like, are
you kidding me?”
VANCOUVER YOUTH
Given the importance of crime reduction in many communities, and the significant funding
often allocated to it, these young people raise three areas of crime that desperately need
to be reduced: child abuse; violence against youth who are poor and homeless; and the
criminalization of, and violence against, Indigenous Peoples and POC. It is clear that greater
access to justice is needed for young people who are poor, who are experiencing abuse, and
who are Indigenous. This includes young women and gender-minority youth who commonly
experience sexual violence on the streets (Gaetz et al., 2016). The trauma and challenges that
often result from violent victimization without redress contribute to trapping young people
in homelessness and poverty (Gaetz, 2004). This means that homelessness prevention must
involve systematically rethinking how the criminal justice system can better serve young
people, as well as provide youth with the knowledge and supports they need to protect.
WHAT WOULD IT TAKE? 101