3.2 Barriers to Community Support

In the context of homelessness, “barriers” mean obstacles or things that prevent the homeless from getting access to resources that are available to the general public. Findings from this research identify the types of barriers experienced by the homeless in accessing community resources, along with barriers associated with systemic and societal factors. We have listed below a few of the barriers we are going to research.

According to Emma Wolley (2015), there are a number of barriers faced by homeless youth to accessing mental health services. 263 of the 413 youth identified with mental health issues experience barriers to receiving necessary support. 76% experience barriers to receiving necessary support, 62% do not have a formal diagnosis, 55% do not have stable housing, 49% have substance use, and 67% report the waitlist is too long.

What Are the Community Resources?

Reaching Home

Reaching Home, launched in 2019, is a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness across Canada. This program supports the goals of Solving the Housing Crisis: Canada’s Housing Plan and the National Housing Strategy and provides funding and support to urban, Indigenous, territorial and rural and remote communities to help them address their local homelessness needs.

Under Reaching Home, the Government of Canada works with communities to deliver projects based on community priorities and data with clear outcomes. This outcomes-based approach keeps the decision-making process at the local level. It also gives communities flexibility to address local priorities and deliver programming designed to meet the needs of specific populations (e.g., youth, Indigenous peoples, women and children fleeing violence).

Reaching Home is now investing $5 billion over nine years (2019 – 2028) to address homelessness. This funding helps organizations doing vitally important work across the country and ensures communities have the support they need to continue to prevent and reduce homelessness (GOC,2025).

Covenant House

Covenant House is an organization that is situated in Toronto. According to their website, Covenant House is the largest agency in Canada that serves the youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk. They provide various services for youth who are homeless, services like 247 crisis shelters, life-changing care with unconditional love and respect, they also work together with people to achieve their future goals (person-centred therapy). They support homeless people with transitioning to proper housing within the community (Covenant House Toronto, 2025).

Eva’s

This is an organization that is committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment for youth. They are currently working towards putting some resources in place to serve the benefit of the most vulnerable in society. The program is beneficial to everyone regardless of race. They provide support to black youth experiencing homelessness with an interesting identity. (Eva’s Initiatives for Homeless Youth, 2025).

The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is an organization that was created with a mission of meeting people’s needs and transforming influence in the community at large. The Salvation Army opened a service called Rescue homes and shelters in 1886. This program helps men, women, families and children experiencing or at risk of homelessness. They are concerned with supporting those experiencing long-term homelessness and facing housing exclusion.