Almost 60% of homeless youth have reported having experience with the child welfare system. When a young person is apprehended from their caregivers by a Children’s Aid Society, they are promised a better place. Yet outcomes for these young people are not good, often including; unfinished schooling, unemployment, homelessness, incarceration, exacerbated mental health. A lot of experiences contribute to this. Many youth have experienced abuse and/or neglect in their developmental years, causing trauma that impacts brain development. After coming [...]

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence kicks off today on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and the theme this year is “Leave No One Behind”. Women are twice as likely to be victims of family violence, and young women living on the streets are at a higher risk of criminal victimization and violence. We come across stories all the time about their experiences of gender-based violence, including intimate partner violence and sexual assault. We [...]

Food security is becoming a bigger issue for Canadians every day, and youth experiencing homelessness are no exception. 88%of homeless youth have reported making use of charitable food programs to get access to nutritious meals. Not having access to nutritious meals, especially in early life, can lead to long-term negative health outcomes. And yet, somehow, $31 billionworth of food still winds up in landfills or composters each year in Canada. Today is World Food Day and a perfect opportunity [...]

Today is World Mental Health Day, an important day for us to remember the close relationship between youth homelessness and mental health. When young people and their families do not get the services they need to manage their mental health challenges, their risk of becoming homeless increases. This is why accessible mental health services are so important to homelessness prevention. Homelessness is a traumatic experience and can easily lead to mental health issues. Without a Home identified that 85% [...]

When we talk about suicide, it’s important to begin from a place of understanding that suicide is a complex issue. When someone attempts to end their life, there is no tracing the experience back to any one cause. Suicide occurs across all age, economic, social, and ethnic boundaries. Not all those who attempt suicide are struggling with mental health. The Without a Home Report indicates that 42% of youth experiencing homelessness reported at least one suicide attempt. Female and [...]