Dr. Jeff Karabanow: What are the challenges these young people face?

In this video Dr. Jeff Karabanow shares that many young people believe the street is a better option than the place they left. He notes that this is a problematic notion because, while the streets can offer some initial respite and social connections, it is a deeply exploitative environment that forces young people to constantly be in survival mode. Dr. Karabanow explains that while on the street young people have to navigate the general public, changing weather conditions, and a sense of boredom. He notes that young people experiencing homelessness are at high risk for abuse and exploitation, and that there are drug dynamics on the street that can amplify mental health and addiction challenges. Dr. Karabanow concludes that although the street might offer some short-term crisis relief for youth leaving home, it is imperative that they be moved off the streets and into safe and secure housing as quickly as possible. This video is 3:49 in length and has closed captions available in English.

Dr. Stephen Gaetz: What are the challenges these young people face?

In this video, Dr. Stephen Gaetz states that many of the challenges adults who experience homelessness face also apply to young people, but that there are some youth-specific challenges as well. Notably, he points to the negative impacts homelessness has on young people’s health, mental health, well-being, and nutrition at a time when they are still developing. Dr. Gaetz explains that youth experiencing homelessness are exposed to high rates of crime and violence, in large part because we create institutional structures, such as shelters, that serve as recruitment sites for predators like sex traffickers. He notes that prolonged homelessness can have lifelong impacts on youth and potentially lead to chronic homelessness when they are adults. Dr. Gaetz concludes by arguing we need to seriously prioritize youth homelessness prevention because it is the pipeline into adult homelessness. This video is 2:59 in length and has closed captions available in English.

The first national survey of homeless youth clearly demonstrated the range of suffering that young people experience while homeless, including housing precarity, violence, marginalization, health challenges, and social exclusion (Gaetz, O’Grady, Kidd, & Schwan, 2016). The second national survey that followed reconfirmed that exposure to violence and victimization are common for young people experiencing homelessness, with negative outcomes such as 35% reporting at least 1 suicide attempt and 33% reporting drug overdose that required hospitalization (Kidd et al., 2021). Although the public perception may be that young people who are unhoused present a sense of danger – such as the young man in the story at the beginning – the reality is that these young people are much more likely to be the victims of crime than perpetrators.

There are several reasons why these young people are frequently victimized. For instance, without the security of a place to keep their possessions safe many young people carry their belongings with them at all times, increasing their vulnerability to robbery. Many of these young people have limited support networks, meaning there are few people who are looking out for them and/or whom they could turn to for help. Finally, because these young people are more frequently perceived to be criminally involved than as victims, they have poor relations with police and are less likely to report being victimized. You can read more about this in the chapter on Sociology & Crimino-Legal Studies. In the next video, Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly explains further.

Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly: What are the challenges these young people face?

In this video, Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly notes that the challenges young people face vary somewhat depending on where they live and the kinds of supports they have. For instance, youth in rural settings may experience hidden homelessness and need to leave behind their support networks to seek services in larger cities. She discusses the risks youth experience once becoming homeless, such as being vulnerable to street-based violence, robbery, and trafficking. Dr. Kennelly argues that while these young people are in need of protection, they are often targeted by police and seen as perpetrators of crime. Consequently, many do not feel comfortable reporting their victimization. This video is 2:07 in length and has closed captions available in English.

What do you think?

There is a cycle in which youth who experience homelessness are victimized but do not report it to the police because of poor relationships. However, because they do not report these incidences, police do not generally view them as being victimized. What can be done to disrupt this cycle, so that police see these young people as needing protection, and these young people see the police as sources of that protection?

A young person’s perception of their own vulnerability may be connected to the length of time they have experienced homelessness. Analysis from a national survey of youth experiencing homelessness showed, for instance, that not every young person considers themselves to be homeless, but that past trauma and the intensity of the day-to-day hardships contribute to adopting this identity (O’Grady, Kidd, & Gaetz, 2020). Among other factors, O’Grady et al., (2020) found that when a person reported being the victim of crime in the preceding 12 months, they were more likely to consider themselves homeless and take on homelessness as a part of their self-identity. This research is important because it helps us understand the connection between being victimized and adopting a homeless identity, which can make it more difficult to transition off the streets. By extension, we need to consider the impact being victimized has on young people’s chances and opportunities to become securely housed. In the next video, Dr. Bill O’Grady speaks about his team’s research and the dire impacts victimization can have on these young people.

Dr. Bill O’Grady: What are the challenges these young people face?

In this video, Dr. William [Bill] O’Grady explains that there are some general challenges youth experiencing homelessness face, but that they are impacted by layers of marginality related to ethnicity, gender, and/or sexual orientation. He notes that these common challenges include a lack of income, no high school diploma, and not having lived independently before. Dr. O’Grady discusses his research, which shows youth who experience homelessness are at high risk of multiple victimization episodes, including being robbed, physically and/or sexually assaulted, and recruited into sex trafficking. While there is a public perception that these youth commit crimes, Dr. O’Grady concludes they are much more likely to be the victims. This video is 4:11 in length and has closed captions available in English.

In the preceding video, Dr. O’Grady spoke about the layers of marginality that shape young people’s experiences of homelessness and that contribute to the challenges they face. Being a young adult is one such layer that interacts with others. For instance, among individuals who are Indigenous, the strongest predictor of experiencing visible (i.e. unsheltered) homelessness has been found to be child welfare involvement (Alberton et al., 2020). This shows us a connection between Indigeneity and child welfare involvement as additional layers of marginality for some young people.

Researchers have also pointed to the ways in which youth who experience homelessness have a much higher prevalence of disabilities than the general public (Baker Collins & Fudge Schormans, 2021). A chart review of intake data for 494 clients enrolled in a community-based inner-city mental health program in Vancouver, for instance, identified a subsample of 44 individuals who were referred for neurophysiological evaluation (Barone et al., 2019). Findings of this analysis revealed that 80% of the referred clients showed cognitive impairment, primarily related to attention and processing speed, 51% of clients referred for testing did not have more than a grade ten education, and only 5% received government support intended for individuals who have significant disabilities (Barone et al., 2019). The invisibility of disability means that young people with cognitive and other disabilities experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable and may face significant barriers gaining access to the tailored supports they need (Baker Collins, Schormans, Watt, Idems, & Wilson, 2018).

There are many layers of marginality that serve to shape a young person’s experiences of homelessness and the challenges they face. The results of the second national survey of 1,375 youth experiencing homelessness emphasized that while all these young people are vulnerable, there is heightened adversity for Indigenous persons, young women, and young people who identify as LGBTQ2S+ (Kidd et al., 2021). In the next video, Dr. Alex Abramovich speaks about the unique challenges unhoused LGBTQ2S+ youth face and the resulting risks to their safety.

Dr. Alex Abramovich: What are the challenges these young people face?

In this video, Dr. Alex Abramovich explains that for LGBTQ2S+ youth who experience homelessness, safety is an ongoing challenge and source of daily anxiety. He notes that most spaces these young people navigate are unsafe and that they often have to choose between unsafe alternatives. Dr. Abramovich provides the example of a trans youth deciding between staying in a shelter where their gender identity will be discriminated against or sleeping outside where they will face unknown physical dangers. He concludes by noting that navigating unsafe spaces also makes it more difficult for LGBTQ2S+ youth experiencing homelessness to access supports where they feel they can be honest about their identity. This video is 2:19 in length and has closed captions available in English.

Throughout this section, we have considered the numerous challenges that young people face while experiencing homelessness. We have seen that although they may initially see the streets as a respite from the homelife they left, it soon becomes a space of violence and exploitation. Because they lack private spaces, have limited social support, and generally poor relations with the police, these young people are at high risk of victimization. Indeed, our current emergency response – which places these young people together in shelter settings – serves as a recruitment ground for sexual predators. In addition to being young, these individuals’ experiences of homelessness are shaped by identity markers, such as their Indigeneity, ethnicity, level of abilities, gender, and/or sexuality.

While experiencing homelessness, young people often spend much of their time trying to meet their basic survival needs, like obtaining food and shelter. In the “At-Risk Youth Study” conducted with 1,066 street-involved young people who use drugs, 68% reported some degree of food insufficiency, defined as being hungry but not having enough money to buy food, and 53% met the criteria for depression (Goldman-Hasbun, Nosova, DeBeck, Dahlby, & Kerr, 2019). When these researchers looked to see if a relationship existed between these two variables, they found that the youth who reported often experiencing food insufficiency also had a higher likelihood of reporting depression, suggesting the lack of food may negatively impact these young people’s mental well-being on the street (Goldman-Hasbun et al., 2019). Food insecurity has also been found to exacerbate body image concerns and lead to higher rates of compensatory substance use amongst youth experiencing homelessness (Luongo, 2018).

We see from these research studies, that the success of young people’s survival activities – like whether they are able to secure adequate levels of nutritious food – has an impact on their well-being and self-esteem. Youth who experience homelessness often perceive themselves to be devalued in society, with research linking this to outcomes such as engaging in higher rates of unprotected sex, increased alcohol use, and daily heroin use (Karamouzian et al., 2019). These risk factors are not always well addressed either, such as through their differential use of sexual health care services (Côté, 2019). In the next video, Dr. Sean Kidd explains how these negative self-images are particularly detrimental for a young person who is still developing and reiterates that navigating supports and peer relations on the street can be a primary challenge these young people face.

Dr. Tyler Frederick: What are the challenges these young people face?

In this video, Dr. Tyler Frederick argues that homelessness can be an extremely stressful experience for young people, as they may not know where to go, what to do, how to get help, or whom to trust. He notes that when a young person is already struggling, such as with depression or anxiety, and they are placed in a stressful environment like a shelter, there will be negative outcomes for their mental health and/or substance use. Dr. Frederick warns that young people experiencing homelessness are at high risk for victimization, like violence and sex trafficking, and that they face systemic vulnerabilities, such as being over-policed. Dr. Frederick concludes that exiting homelessness is a challenge for these youth as well, who have to balance daily stressors of life with finding affordable housing, a landlord who is willing to rent to them, and a reliable source of income. This video is 4:24 in length and has closed captions available in English.

Dr. Naomi Thulien: What are the challenges these young people face?

In this video, Dr. Naomi Thulien argues that young people experiencing homelessness face the clear challenge of not having anywhere to live, as well as additional challenges related to incomplete education, inability to find employment, and a lack of connections within the community. Dr. Thulien explains that these youth experience homelessness during a period in which they are still developing, and that this is particularly challenging as Canadian youth, in general, are staying home longer and delaying living independently. She notes that obtaining housing in a competitive market may be even more difficult for these youth, as a result of stigma, poor credit, and not having a surety in place. Dr. Thulien encourages landlords to make an intentional decision to rent to these young people as a way to help them exit homelessness. This video is 4:14 in length and has closed captions available in English.

There are many challenges young people face when they experience homelessness. We have seen throughout this section that while they may think about leaving home as a respite, they soon realize that the street is not a safe environment. Rather, they are exposed to considerable violence, victimization, and trauma at a time in their life when they are still developing mentally, emotionally, physically, and socially. The impacts of this violence and trauma can last throughout their lives.

When a young person becomes homeless, they may stay temporarily with friends or extended family, reside in an emergency shelter, or sleep outside in public places. We began this section by returning to one young man, who was sleeping outside, using substances, and facing considerable public discrimination as a result. The perception of these young people is often that they are dangerous and/or criminals, yet what the research shows is that they are much more likely to be the victims. Our current emergency response increases these chances, by placing young people together and increasing their visibility and vulnerability to predators. Indeed, sexual victimization and trafficking are common outcomes for young people who become homeless.

While all young people are vulnerable when in street environments, we learned that there are additional layers of marginality that can serve to make some even more at-risk. In particular, young people who are Indigenous, racialized, living with disabilities, female, and/or who identify as LGBTQ2S+ are among the highest risk for additional harms associated with homelessness. While in a developmental stage, and navigating risks of violence and trauma, these young people also must function in survival mode just to meet their basic needs. The demand to always be searching for safety, food, and shelter creates a physiological state of stress that can also have life-long consequences.

If a young person is able to find some stability and begin to transition out of homelessness, they may find that the challenges persist. As many young people leave school prior to graduating, they often are not able to obtain a job that is high paying enough to cover the costs of market rent. Returning to school, getting a job, and finding secure and affordable housing are considerable tasks that take time. Exiting homelessness, and recovering from the trauma of the experience, is a process that requires a great deal of personal strength and social support.