The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness - Publications

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Open Access
Finding Home: Policy Options for Addressing Homelessness in Canada
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2009) Hulchanski, J. David; Campsie, Philippa; Chau, Shirley; Hwang, Stephen; Paradis, Emily
Finding Home aims to fill a gap in the information available on homelessness by providing an easily accessible collection of the best Canadian research and policy analysis on homelessness.
Open Access
Surviving Crime and Violence: Street Youth and Victimization in Toronto
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2010) Gaetz, Stephen; O'Grady, Bill; Buccieri, Kristy
Any parent would be outraged if their child was exposed to violence and crime. Any community would consider this to be unacceptable. Should we be concerned about the risks that young people who are homeless face? In our report, “Surviving Crime and Violence”, we explore the relationship between youth homelessness and criminal victimization. Our research highlights the degree to which the lives of young people who are homeless are characterized by high levels of crime and violence. This report, prepared for Justice for Children and Youth, was led by Stephen Gaetz (York University) and Bill O’Grady (University of Guelph). Two hundred and forty four homeless youth in Toronto were interviewed in 2009 about life on the streets, including their experiences of criminal victimization. While street youth are often portrayed in public discussions as dangerous, threatening and delinquent, this new research highlights the degree to which it is street youth themselves who are clearly vulnerable to crime and violence. The findings of this research reveal that street youth are victimized frequently, in large part due to the vulnerabilities that young people face when they are homeless. Particularly concerning are the findings which indicate that interventions to this victimization are not being effectively addressed by the criminal justice and shelter systems or by other professionals involved in the lives of street youth. We suggest that if the levels of violence and other forms of crime found in this study were being experienced by any other group of youth in Canada there would be immediate public outrage and considerable pressure for government to take action. Street youth deserve the same level of attention in responding to and preventing crime and violence that any other group of Canadian citizens are entitled to. Such attention is needed so that street youth have an opportunity to move forward in life.
Open Access
Surviving Crime and Violence: Street Youth and Victimization in Toronto
(2010-09-16) Gaetz, Stephen; O'Grady, Bill; Buccieri, Kristy
Any parent would be outraged if their child was exposed to violence and crime. Any community would consider this to be unacceptable. Should we be concerned about the risks that young people who are homeless face? In our report, “Surviving Crime and Violence”, we explore the relationship between youth homelessness and criminal victimization. Our research highlights the degree to which the lives of young people who are homeless are characterized by high levels of crime and violence. This report, prepared for Justice for Children and Youth, was led by Stephen Gaetz (York University) and Bill O’Grady (University of Guelph). Two hundred and forty four homeless youth in Toronto were interviewed in 2009 about life on the streets, including their experiences of criminal victimization. While street youth are often portrayed in public discussions as dangerous, threatening and delinquent, this new research highlights the degree to which it is street youth themselves who are clearly vulnerable to crime and violence. The findings of this research reveal that street youth are victimized frequently, in large part due to the vulnerabilities that young people face when they are homeless. Particularly concerning are the findings which indicate that interventions to this victimization are not being effectively addressed by the criminal justice and shelter systems or by other professionals involved in the lives of street youth. We suggest that if the levels of violence and other forms of crime found in this study were being experienced by any other group of youth in Canada there would be immediate public outrage and considerable pressure for government to take action. Street youth deserve the same level of attention in responding to and preventing crime and violence that any other group of Canadian citizens are entitled to. Such attention is needed so that street youth have an opportunity to move forward in life.
Open Access
Homelessness in Yellowknife: An Emerging Social Challenge
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2011) Falvo, Nick
here is a considerable amount of visible homelessness in Yellowknife (NWT), yet very little third-party analysis of the situation. This report begins by briefly discussing who is homeless in Yellowknife and then outlines program responses, including emergency shelters and various models of housing. An overview will then be provided of major funding initiatives from the federal and territorial governments, as well as various forms of homelessness assistance provided by the City of Yellowknife. The report concludes by making policy recommendations with respect to the need for increased accountability, shelter standards, more housing options for the homeless, and a public health response to alcohol and drug use.
Open Access
Family Matters: Homeless Youth & Eva’s Initiative’s Family Reconnect Program
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2011) Winland, Daphne; Gaetz, Stephen; Patton, Tara
Young people become homeless largely because of challenges they experience within their families. We know well that conflicts within family - whether related to abuse, mental health, or addictions issues of either young people themselves or other family members – often lead young people to the streets. Because of this, most street youth serving agencies largely ignore the potential role of family members in helping people make the transition to adulthood. There are some exceptions, and one of these is the Family Reconnect program of Eva’s Initiatives in Toronto. In the report, Family Matters, this program is examined to evaluate how reconnecting with family may help some young people avoid long term homelessness. In doing this review, the authors raise some important questions about the Canadian response to youth homelessness. They argue for a rather radical transformation of this response, one that reconsiders the role of strengthened family (and community) relations in preventing and responding to youth homelessness.
Open Access
Can I See Your ID? The Policing of Youth Homelessness in Toronto
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2011) O'Grady, Bill; Gaetz, Stephen; Buccieri, Kristy
Homelessness, and its visibility, is back in the news in Toronto. Concerns about the scourge of panhandling have once again surfaced in local media with city councillors regularly weighing in on the ‘problem’. With little evidence that there is a dramatic increase in the numbers of people sleeping in parks or ‘aggressively’ panhandling on sidewalks, calls are once again being made for a law and order response to address this highly visible manifestation of urban poverty; to crack down on homelessness with tougher laws and stricter enforcement. All of this raises important questions about how we respond to homelessness in Canada. What does it say about Canadians when popular thought suggests that the appropriate way to address the problem of homelessness is through law enforcement? Is the use of police in dealing with people who are homeless as much a part of the Canadian response to homelessness as is the provision of shelter beds, soup kitchens and street outreach? And perhaps most importantly, what is the impact of a law and order approach to homelessness on the lives of people who experience such extreme poverty? This report sets out to document the criminalization of homelessness in Canada by exploring the relationship between homeless persons – in particular, street youth - and law enforcement officials (both the police and private security). Drawing from over 240 interviews with street youth in Toronto in 2009, as well as a review of official statistics on Ontario Safe Streets Act tickets in Toronto over the past 11 years, we explore the ways in which homelessness has been criminalized through a law and order agenda. Effective policy should be informed by research, not developed as a response to moral panics. Our research raises serious questions about the use of law enforcement as a strategy to address the visibility of homelessness in Canada.
Open Access
Strategies to End Homelessness: Current Approaches to Evaluation
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2012) Paulie, Bernie; Carlson, Ellie; Perkin, Kathleen
The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of research on interventions that aim to end or reduce homelessness. Our specific goals were to gain an understanding of the different populations for whom interventions have been tested and the type of interventions evaluated, as well as to create an inventory of the indicators used to assess the effectiveness of interventions. We provide an overview of the methodology used to gather research on strategies to end homelessness. In the findings, we review the types of interventions evaluated, highlight the populations studied, and summarize the indicators of effectiveness used in the evaluations. Finally, we discuss the findings of this review in relation to current and future research on homeless interventions.
Open Access
The Real Cost of Homelessness
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2012) Gaetz, Stephen
This report summarizes what we know about the cost of addressing homelessness by looking at key literature from Canada and the United States. What becomes clear is that the status quo is actually really expensive. It may seem counter intuitive to suggest that it is cheaper and more cost effective to provide people who experience homelessness with the housing and supports they need, rather than simply provide them with emergency supports through shelters and soup kitchens. However, the research reviewed here indicates that this is actually the case. The best social and economic policies should be based on research and evidence, and in this case, the evidence points to the fact that if we do things differently, we not only achieve better social outcomes, but we also save money.
Open Access
“Take the Story, Take the Needs, and DO Something”: Grassroots Women’s Priorities for Community-Based Participatory Research and Action on Homelessness
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2012) Paradis, Emily; Mosher, Janet
The Women, Homelessness and Community-Based Participatory Research project grew out of a sense that while many CBPR projects addressing women and homelessness existed in communities across the country, information about these activities was not widely known. Hence one of the goals of the project was to create an inventory of such projects as a first step in knowledge exchange and potential networking among project actors. Beyond the creation of an inventory, a second goal was to bring together women who had participated in these projects, in order to deepen the exchange of knowledge and to open the door to future collaborations among such projects across geographic divides. We envisioned knowledge exchange to include not only information about the projects in which they were involved – for example, the findings of their projects and the obstacles and enablers to translating findings into policies and practices responsive to local needs – but also a reflective evaluation of CBPR processes themselves. We were especially interested in bringing together women with lived experiences of homelessness who had participated as peer researchers or in other roles. We saw this as critical both because CBPR processes are rarely evaluated from the perspective of participants with lived experience and because of our shared commitment to ensuring that the expertise of women with lived experience is recognized and valued in crafting research, policies and practices to create safe, affordable, accessible and secure housing for women in Canada. The project was timed to correspond with a groundbreaking conference on women and homelessness in Canada, All Our Sisters National Forum on Housing and Safe Communities for Women, held in London, Ontario, May 9-12, 2011. Importantly, the Conference vision was to build and sustain a national network to improve women’s access to safe, secure and affordable housing. Its organizers understood that the realization of this vision required the bringing together of service providers, community members, policy makers, government officials, academics, and change agents, with significant representation throughout of women with lived experience of homelessness. We saw the conference as an incredible opportunity for women with lived experience of homelessness who had participated in CBPR projects to not only share their knowledge and expertise with each other, but to collectively address the researchers, service providers and policy makers in attendance at the Conference. As our project developed we maintained regular contact with the organizers of the Conference, who were wonderfully supportive of our initiative.
Open Access
We’re not asking, we’re telling: An inventory of practices promoting the dignity, autonomy, and self-determination of women and families facing homelessness
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2012) Paradis, Emily; Bardy, Sherry; Cummings Diaz, Patricia; Athumani, Farida; Pereira, Ingrid
This study builds upon the findings of several recent participatory projects in which women facing homelessness have taken the lead and voiced their knowledge about the causes and consequences of, and the solutions to homelessness. Through those projects, women experiencing homelessness shared their insights about services, and about their own strengths. Now, the time has come to assist services to adopt the good practices identified in those projects. In order to do this, service providers need models and tools that are relevant to their own service contexts. To gather more information about models, tools, and practices and how these can be implemented, our project drew upon a range of sources: • A web search, literature review, and site visits, to identify innovative democratic practices in local, Canadian, and international services for women and families facing homelessness. • Interviews and focus groups with managers and front-line staff in organizations serving women and families facing homelessness, in order to analyze practices and policies in local services that respond to the above recommendations, and the challenges that services face in fully implementing them. • Peer knowledge exchange meetings and focus groups with women and families facing homelessness, in which participants shared and documented the good practices they use, and their recommendations for making services more inclusive. This report presents inspiring models, inclusive service practices, and women’s own strategies and resources for surviving homelessness. While we keep up the struggle to end homelessness, we can also draw upon the information here to make changes in our everyday lives, our work, and our organizations. This feminist, participatory research project was funded by the Homelessness Knowledge Development Program of Human Resources Services and Development Canada.
Open Access
Housing First - Where is the evidence?
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2012) Waegemakers Schiff, Jeannette; Rook, John
n the last ten years a radical transformation has occurred in the attitudes and practices guiding housing programs that provide emergency and long-term housing for homeless people. This shift evolved from linear or step-wise models of either coupling housing with treatment, or of requiring treatment prior to obtaining permanent housing (Treatment Continuum – TC) (Padgett, et al., 2006), to a priority placed on housing without treatment expectations (Brown, 2005). The latter approach has been labelled housing first (HF) and has rapidly acquired wide-spread adoption by communities with 10-year plans to end homelessness in Canada and the U.S. (e.g. Calgary, Toronto, Minneapolis, San Diego, New York) and by mental health service providers seeking housing stability for clients (Newman & Goldman, 2008). Fuelled by some scientific evidence (Atherton & McNaughton Nicholls, 2008), and increasingly made popular by press and housing authorities developing “10 year plans” to eradicate homelessness, housing first has emerged as an increasingly popular approach to addressing homelessness. (The HF approach was embraced by all levels of government in Canada, as evidenced by the Streets to Homes initiative in Toronto and the housing initiatives in Calgary). Despite the rapid uptake of this approach, there is the absence of “best practice” evidence to support this. “Best practice” is commonly understood to imply evidence-based techniques or interventions that have been demonstrated to work well with most persons and have the least potential for adverse results. To the extent that there was some, but not conclusive, evidence that HF was effective for those with mental illness and co-occurring mental illness, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2010), introduced a large, multi-site study of HF in five Canadian cities (referred to as the At Home/Chez Soi project). This project is examining the approach in various political contexts and with differing target populations, thereby including the multi-cultural dimensions essential to Canadian adoption of this approach. Although early results are promising, conclusive answers will not be available for several years. In the interim, adoption of the HF approach is rapidly growing.
Open Access
Poverty Amongst Plenty: Waiting for the Yukon Government to Adopt a Poverty Reduction Strategy
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2012) Falvo, Nick
Poverty is bad for the economy, leads to higher health care costs and takes a serious toll on human lives. Most Canadian jurisdictions have developed poverty reduction strategies in the past decade, but Yukon has not. This policy report will provide an overview of poverty indicators in Yukon. It will discuss child apprehensions, housing, land development and homelessness. The report will then provide an overview of the Yukon Child Benefit, social assistance and Yukon seniors’ benefits. This will be followed by a consideration of education, literacy, early child education, child care and at-risk youth. Yukon’s fiscal situation will then be discussed, followed by a look at initial steps taken by the Yukon Government towards the development of a poverty reduction strategy. The report concludes with five recommendations for the Yukon Government.
Open Access
Live, Learn, Grow: Supporting Transitions to Adulthood for Homeless Youth – A Framework for the Foyer in Canada
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2012) Gaetz, Stephen; Scott, Fiona
In Canada, there is a growing interest in developing more effective responses to youth homelessness. This is expressed by the desire to shift our efforts from providing homeless youth with bare bone emergency services to a broader and more strategic emphasis on prevention, and models of accommodation that lead to a life of independence and fulfilment. In striving for these outcomes, communities across the country are looking to build on “what works” and adapt effective models to local contexts. Finding suitable models of housing and accommodation supported by effective policy and funding frameworks is central to these efforts. This report reflects on the possibilities of adapting, and in fact improving on, the Foyer model for the Canadian context. The report has three main sections. First, there is an overview of the challenges homeless youth face in securing and maintaining housing, to be followed by an analysis of the role that transitional housing can play in supporting young people as they move forward with their lives. In the second section, the Foyer model is introduced. The underlying philosophy of the Foyer is explored, key components are explained, and the research on program effectiveness is examined. The final section of the report is designed to support communities in the practical adaptation of the Foyer model. A framework that identifies the indispensable features of the Foyer model is presented which clearly lays out how this model can be adapted and implemented in the Canadian context. The proposed framework does not simply replicate what has been developed elsewhere, but rather seeks to incorporate recent developments in housing responses for young people who have experienced homelessness and embed it in the Canadian context.
Open Access
Housing First in Canada: Supporting Communities to End Homelessness
(Canada Homelessness Research Network, 2013) Gaetz, Stephen; Scott, Fiona; Gulliver, Tanya
Housing First has proven to be a realistic, humane and effective way of responding to homelessness. Housing First in Canada: Supporting Communities to End Homelessness is the first book that examines how this approach has been applied in Canada. The book begins with a framework for Housing First that explains the core principles of the approach, as well as how it works in practice. The book also presents eight case studies of Housing First in Canada, exploring not just the results of its implementation, but how different communities made the shift from ‘treatment as usual’ to a new approach. Here we explore the challenges of making the case locally, the planning process, adapting the model to local contexts (urban vs. small town) or targeted populations (Aboriginal people, youth), and implementation. Much has been learned by communities that have employed Housing First and we conclude the book with a chapter that highlights key lessons learned. The book provides a wealth of information for those who want to understand the concept of Housing First and how to move forward with implementation. The good news is that Housing First works and can be applied in any community.
Open Access
Youth Homelessness in Canada: Implications for Policy and Practice
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2013) Gaetz, Stephen; O'Grady, Bill; Buccieri, Kristy; karabanow, jeff; Marsolais, Allyson
Youth homelessness is a seemingly intractable problem in Canada. In communities across the country, people are increasingly aware of the sight of young people who are without a home, sleeping in parks, sitting on sidewalks or asking for money. What do we know about these young people, and what should we do? Youth Homelessness in Canada: Implications for Policy and Practice aims to fill a gap in the information available on this important issue by providing an easily accessible collection of the best Canadian research and policy analysis in the field. If we are going to solve youth homelessness in a meaningful way, we need solutions that are informed by the best research. This book has been written with this in mind. In this volume, leading Canadian scholars present key findings from their research on youth homelessness. In an effort to make this research accessible as well as relevant to decision-makers and practitioners, contributing authors have been asked to address the ‘so whatness’ of their research; to make clear the policy and practice implications of their research so as to better inform the efforts of those working to address youth homelessness. The contributors to this book are committed to supporting the development of more effective solutions to youth homelessness. Not only can we do things differently, we need to. And research on youth homelessness can help make a difference.
Open Access
Youth Homelessness in Canada: Implications for Policy and Practice
(the Homelessness Hub, 2013) Gaetz, Stephen; O'Grady, Bill; Buccieri, Kristy; karabanow, jeff; Marsolais, Allyson
This book aims to fill a gap in the information available on young people who are without a home, sleeping in parks, sitting on sidewalks or asking for money. This is an easily accessible collection of the best Canadian research and policy analysis in the field. 27 contributions, 501 pages.
Open Access
The State of Homelessness in Canada 2013
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2013) Gaetz, Stephen; Donaldson, Jesse; Richer, Tim; Gulliver, Tanya
The State of Homelessness in Canada: 2013 is the first extensive Canadian report card on homelessness. This report examines what we know about homelessness, the historical, social and economic context in which it has emerged, demographic features of the problem, and potential solutions. The State of Homelessness provides a starting point to inform the development of a consistent, evidence-based approach towards ending homelessness. Our goal in developing this report was to both assess the breadth of the problem and to develop a methodology for national measurement. We believe that homelessness is not a given and that not just reducing, but ending, the crisis is achievable. The information for the State of Homelessness in Canada report has been compiled by the Canadian Homelessness Research Network (Homeless Hub) and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness from the best available research to date. Because we lack strong data on homelessness in Canada, our estimates of the scale of the problem are just that: an estimate, but they represent an important starting point. As the first national report card on homelessness, the evaluation of the response to homelessness by Canada’s homeless sector provides an important means of benchmarking progress toward ending homelessness.
Open Access
Leaving Home: Youth Homelessness in York Region
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2014) Noble, Amanda; Donaldson, Jesse; Gaetz, Stephen; Mirza, Sabina; Coplan, Isaac; Fleischer, David
In York Region, there is a growing awareness of the problem of youth homelessness. In the past many people saw it as a ‘big city’ problem, more likely to occur in places like downtown Toronto or Vancouver. But we now know from research that the factors that drive youth to become homeless are not isolated in big cities, but are also present in urban, suburban and rural areas. This is most certainly true of York Region. The question then becomes, what do we do about it? This report is the culmination of a community engagement process led by United Way York Region and supported by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. The goal of this initiative is the development of a more coordinated and integrated systems response to youth homelessness, one designed to support families and help young people stay in their communities, stay in school, and grow into an adulthood characterized by happiness, well-being and opportunity. The Leaving Home report presents the findings from the research project that was conducted over the summer of 2013 with 60 young people from York Region who had experienced homelessness, as well as a number of service providers. Informed by emerging Canadian and international practices, key recommendations are also presented. All are intended to inspire and contribute to a broader conversation about the problem of youth homelessness so that young people and their families get the supports they need to avoid this undesirable outcome.
Open Access
Coming of Age: Reimagining the Response to Youth Homelessness in Canada
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2014) Gaetz, Stephen
The goal of this report is to present an argument for approaching how we respond to youth homelessness in a new way. The report achieves this by pulling together key information about youth homelessness, to better inform how we respond to the problem. As a peer-reviewed research document, Dr. Gaetz draws on an existing base of research in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, in order to identify effective approaches to youth homelessness policy and practice. The report also draws heavily on several previous works by Dr. Gaetz, including Live, Learn, Grow: Supporting Transitions to Adulthood for Homeless Youth - A Framework for the Foyer in Canada, and several chapters from the book Youth Homelessness in Canada: Implications for Policy and Practice and in particular, the concluding chapter Ending Youth Homelessness in Canada is Possible: The Role of Prevention. While this is a research report that will appeal to academics, the intended audience is much broader. It has been written in a way to appeal to students, service providers, policy makers and the general public. The key arguments are intended to help inform decision-making in government, communities, and social service agencies. As a research document, it provides an evidentiary base for creating more effective responses to youth homelessness. As a public document, it is intended to inspire change and innovation, with the ultimate goal of contributing to real and effective solutions to youth homelessness in Canada.
Open Access
The State of Homelessness in Canada 2014
(Canadian Homelessness Research Network, 2014) Gaetz, Stephen; Gulliver, Tanya; Richter, Tim
Canada is nearing an important crossroads in our response to homelessness. Since homelessness emerged as a significant problem – in fact, as a crisis – in the 1990s, with the withdrawal of the federal government’s investment in affordable housing, communities have struggled to respond. Declining wages (even minimum wage has not kept up with inflation in any jurisdiction in Canada), reduced benefit levels–including pensions and social assistance—and a shrinking supply of affordable housing have placed more and more Canadians at risk of homelessness. For a small, but significant group of Canadians facing physical and mental health challenges, the lack of housing and supports is driving increases in homelessness. Prevention measures – such as ‘rent banks’ and ‘energy banks’ that are designed to help people maintain their housing – are not adequate in stemming the flow to homelessness. The result has been an explosion in homelessness as a visible and seemingly ever present problem.