Assessing Youth Homelessness in Lethbridge, Alberta. Lethbridge: Social Housing in Action, 2014. (original) (raw)

Voices from the periphery: Prospects and challenges for the homeless youth service sector

Children and Youth Services Review, 2010

As a result of its focus on transitionally-aged youth (16-24), the homeless youth service sector finds itself on the periphery of both the children's service sectors, represented by children's mental health, child welfare, education and youth justice, and the adult service sectors that seek to address the varying needs of adults for social assistance and mental health services. Based on an extensive literature review and a series of interviews with service providers, stakeholders and youth within this sector, in the Central East Service Region of the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services, the authors synthesize core themes and issues that help to situate the current prospects and challenges facing this sector. Feedback from informants positioned the concept of "relationship" as a central feature of both service provision and service use on the part of youth. The Central East Region is a mixed urban, suburban and semi-rural region situated in close proximity to Canada's largest urban centre, Toronto. With a population of nearly 2 million, the Region is often perceived as diverse, encompassing a series of highly affluent commuter communities, relatively isolated rural and small town communities and urban working class communities. While social issues such as homelessness and poverty have long been recognized in urban communities, they have only recently been acknowledged as community concerns in the geographically large suburban areas of this region.

Young people's homeless pathways

2008

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, without written permission of the authors. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Homeless Agency or the Health Service Executive.

Youth Homelessness in Canada: Implications for Policy and Practice

2013

Unstably Connected-This population of homeless youth has a more complicated housing history, and is likely to have longer and repeated episodes of homelessness. They are more likely to be disengaged from school, and will have challenges obtaining and maintaining employment. Most will have retained some level of connection with family members, and are less likely to experience serious mental health or addictions issues compared to chronically homeless youth. Chronically Disconnected-In terms of numbers, this will be the smallest group of homeless youth, but at the same time the group with the most complex needs, and the users of the most resources in the youth homelessness sector. This group of young people will experience long term homelessness, repeated episodes, and will more likely have mental health and/or addictions issues. They will have the most unstable relations with their families, and in some cases there will be no connections at all (Gaetz, forthcoming). This typology can become a useful tool for communities seeking to understand, define and enumerate the shape and scope of the youth homelessness problem. It can also provide some insight into the kinds of interventions needed to address youth homelessness, as one size definitely does not fit all. About This Book This volume is intended to highlight the best of Canadian research on youth homelessness. The book is organized in a thematic way, so that there are separate sections relating to: 1) pathways in and out of homelessness; 2) housing; 3) health; 4) mental health and addictions; 5) employment, education YOUTH HOMELESSNESS IN CANADA

Pathways to youth homelessness

Social Science & Medicine, 2006

Research documents high levels of psychopathology among homeless youth. Most research, however, has not distinguished between disorders that are present prior to homelessness and those that develop following homelessness. Hence whether psychological disorders are the cause or consequence of homelessness has not been established. The aim of this study is to investigate causal pathways to homelessness amongst currently homeless youth in Australia. The study uses a quasi-qualitative methodology to generate hypotheses for larger-scale research. High rates of psychological disorders were confirmed in the sample 35 homeless youth aged 14-25. The rates of psychological disorders at the point of homelessness were greater than in normative samples, but the rates of clinical disorder increased further once homeless. Further in-depth analyses were conducted to identify the temporal sequence for each individual with a view to establishing a set of causal pathways to homelessness and trajectories following homelessness that characterised the people in the sample. Five pathways to homelessness and five trajectories following homelessness were identified that accounted for the entire sample. Each pathway constituted a series of interactions between different factors similar to that described by Craig and Hodson (1998. Psychological Medicine, 28, 1379-1388) as ''complex subsidiary pathways''. The major findings were that (1) trauma is a common experience amongst homeless youth prior to homelessness and figured in the causal pathways to homelessness for over half of the sample; (2) once homeless, for the majority of youth there is an increase in the number of psychological diagnoses including drug and alcohol diagnoses; and (3) crime did not precede homelessness for all but one youth; however, following homelessness, involvement in criminal activity was common and became a distinguishing factor amongst youth. The implications of these findings for future research and service development are discussed.

Effective interventions for working with young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness

2012

Youth homelessness continues to be a problem in modern Australian society and is emblematic of social inequality and injustice in an otherwise affluent society. Research indicates that youth homelessness is related to a range of risk factors and harms that interact with each other in complex ways. Though the risks and pathways into homelessness are varied and multifaceted, research consistently highlights several, often overlapping, causal factors: family breakdown (including neglect, conflict and abuse); mental health issues; unemployment; poverty; alcohol and other drug issues; and crime (

Supporting Homeless Youth: Perspectives and Preferences

Journal of Poverty, 2010

Homelessness among adolescents and young adults is a growing concern in Canada and other countries, yet little is known about their support needs and support intervention preferences from the perspectives of homeless youth or youth at risk of homelessness. The authors assessed these needs and preferences through individual and group interviews with homeless adolescents and young adults (n = 35) and their service providers (n = 27). The unique perspectives of service providers and homeless youth converged on some issues. Key challenges faced by these youth included social isolation, alienation, low self-worth, lack of resources, and substance abuse. Although some services were available, they did not fully meet existing needs. Participants indicated that interventions should focus on emotional and affirmational support. They recommended face-to-face support that was accessible, flexible, participatory, long-term, and offered choice.

Deconstructing ideologies and practices of homeless youth crisis intervention

2012

This study investigates the underlying ideologies behind the "crisis paradigm" of youth homelessness and how these ideologies, in turn, influence the practices of two homeless youth crisis programs, namely the Comprehensive Community Based Youth Services (CCBYS) and the Basic Center in two rural towns in the Midwest. The research employed grounded theory ethnographic methods including semi-structured interviews with 18 homeless youth and 11 service providers, participant observations at two centers, analysis of official reports and case management plans. Broadly, the study contributes to research on youth homelessness, crisis intervention, and human services delivery in community settings. Study findings reveal that youth homelessness was approached as a "crisis" that involved young people aged between 12 and 18 years who did not have a permanent place to call home because they ran away, were locked out, or had lost their homes, and lived on the streets or moved from friend-to-friend or relative-to-relative. As a crisis, youth homelessness was defined as a short-term, acute, and unexpected social experience that created a state of disequilibrium in young people's lives by disrupting their sense of control, belonging, and identity. As a response to the disruptions associated with homelessness, crisis intervention was embraced as a viable approach to ameliorating the challenges that homeless youth face. This study reveals that the construction of youth homelessness as a crisis and the use of the crisis intervention model enabled service providers to immediately come to the rescue of homeless youth as soon as they were identified. It also legitimated the round-the-clock response system, an approach that required service providers to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This ensured that homeless youth received urgently needed services such as counseling, food, shelter, and clothing without time restrictions. Thus far, crisis intervention fulfilled its traditional mission of helping individuals facing unexpected debilitating events or conditions. On the other hand, this study reveals several limitations of crisis intervention for homeless youth. In both programs, youth homelessness was seen as a personal problem that could be addressed by providing social services to individual homeless youth. While agreeing with the view that crisis intervention is a systematic action to build spaces of normalcy and safety, provide material support and services for youth, this study argues that the process must be understood as more than merely providing ameliorative services. The study examines how the crisis intervention approach unintentionally produced disempowered, hyper-sexualized, and This dissertation would not have been possible without the support of many generous and inspiring people that I have met since beginning my graduate work. The list is long, but I cherish each contribution to my development as a scholar. First and foremost, I am very grateful to my advisor, Dr. Soo Ah Kwon, whose encouragement, guidance, and support enabled me to develop a deep understanding of my field of study. I am also thankful to my dissertation committee members: Prof. Ramona F. Oswald, Prof. Marcela Raffaelli, and Prof. Steven G. Anderson for setting an example of academic excellence that I aspire to achieve. This study would not have been successful without the support of the program staff at the cooperating agencies who gave me access to their confidential records. I am also grateful to the homeless youth who freely shared their stories with me.