torontohomelessness

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strategy 5 - 2SLGBTQ+ specific shelter and services - conclusion

The last strategy that could benefit an early intervention approach would be having more 2SLGBTQ+-specific shelters and other housing programs. I think because they are a vulnerable population of youth experiencing homelessness, it would be best to have specific shelters and programs that are inclusive and meet the needs of 2SLGBTQ+ youth. Lyon et al. (2016) highlight that when the study participants accessed women-specific housing and services, the staff of those services would be neglectful of the violence and discrimination inflicted by the other people accessing the services. After I read that even though the evidence was based in Vancouver, I feel that Toronto shelters services would be the same in not being inclusive of the 2SLBTQ+ services. To prevent youth from experiencing potential exclusion and discrimination, I recommend that the staff working in these programs complete cultural sensitivity training. I also think that the team should be composed of individuals identifying 2SLGBTQ+that also experienced homelessness. It would help the youth feel safer as staff could give personal experiences of their homelessness and give ideas for staying resilient during hard times. I mentioned resilience as author Fredrick et al. (2021) explained that youth stayed resilient through experiences of homelessness. I found some programs in Toronto that cater to only 2SLGBTQ+ youth. For example, author Miller et al.(2017) presents a program on the Homeless Hub website about the  YMCA Sprott House that caters to LGBTQ+ youth receiving adequate housing and other supports such as recreational programming( para. That initiative was launched in 2016 and seems to be effective currently. I think more programs should be created in Toronto to help youth homelessness.

In conclusion,

I think these early intervention plans could help decrease youth homelessness in Toronto. Youth could be the most accessible population to protect and prevent homelessness. This can start within the homes of these youth by feeling love and security. Accepting the individual for who they are, no matter how they identify or what profession they want to start. Access to appropriate mental health or possible addiction services should be essential to anyone needing it. Having educational support that helps your future career can be beneficial. I believe that having housing won't be enough to prevent homelessness. With the appropriate support available, I feel that the causes contributing to youth homelessness are solvable, thus decreasing prevalence and possibly ending youth homelessness.

References

Child care. ymcagta. (n.d.). Retrieved from, https://ymcagta.org/child-care

Frederick, T. J., Vitopoulos, N., Stamatopoulos, V., & Kidd, S. A. (2021). Brief report: Youth homelessness, youthful caregiving, and resilience. Children and Youth Services Review, 129, 106177.  https://doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106177

Lyons, T., Krüsi, A., Pierre, L., Smith, A., Small, W., & Shannon, K. (2016). Experiences of trans women and Two-Spirit persons accessing women-specific health and housing services in a downtown neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada. LGBT Health, 3(5), 373-378. doi:10.1089/lgbt.2016.0060.

Miller, K., Bissoondial, K., M. (2017). 5.3 YMCA Sproutt House: Creating a Better Space for LGBTQ2S Youth in Toronto. Homeless Hub. Retrieved from, 5.3 YMCA Sprott House: Creating a Better Space for LGBTQ2S Youth in Toronto | The Homeless Hub

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Employment Guidance programs

Employment guidance as an early intervention strategy could decrease the likelihood of youth entering homelessness. Not many youths have the proper influences at home or school that could help them secure stable jobs. I think that, especially in Toronto, there should be programs to teach individuals how to compose an effective resume and cover letter and mock interview practices that can have employers wowed when meeting that individual. I believe these programs should be free and accessible to anyone in Toronto. Doing these programs can make youth resilient and hopeful that even if they fail at a job opportunity, there will be employment that would want them. That is also why having educational support throughout the years can benefit in securing employment. Most employment opportunities wish employees to have a high school diploma at least or progress to completing one. Within that same program for resume building, there should be opportunities for youth to gain work experience. Many employers want to experience, but how can one gain work experience if they haven't worked? Toronto should implement youth-based employment experience workshops for high school students coming out of the CAS system. Youth should have a fair, equal chance to secure employment regardless of barriers such as race, sexual orientation or able-bodiedism that would prevent them from succeeding. Programs that can be governmentally funded to help youth gain experience and secure stable income should take place immediately. I found a program through the website titled YES. This website explains their program that offers vulnerable youth programs and training that help them with securing stable employment. According to the website Youth Employment Services YES (2022) They provide these youth with “individual help with resumes, cover letters and interviews” (para 2). Other initiatives should be implemented from grade 9 of high school and continue if an individual needs more support.

References

YES Programs. Youth Employment Services YES. (2022, August 11). Retrieved  from, Employment Service - Youth Employment Services YES

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strategy 3- more educational support

I believe educational support from teachers, principals, and anyone in an individual's life could prevent them from entering homelessness. This can be about consistency in someone's life. Many youths go into elementary and high school, creating consistent relationships with the faculty at school. I believe that I carried this into university and college because I formed bonds with my teachers and the lessons they instilled in me. I got this strategy/ early intervention plan from a podcast I listened to about an initiative that worked in Australia called the Geelong project. According to the Out of the blue podcast(2020), Dr. David Mackenzie described the attributes of the Geelong project. He explained that he gained knowledge about what youth needed to feel secure during a survey he conducted. It is common for youth to struggle in educational settings, so there must be consistent help throughout as much as needed. It is common for marginalized youth to be singled out in the classroom due to implicit biases. The educational system should be tailored to be inclusive of all racialized communities. I do not think it is inclusive towards all races because I learned the western white version of history growing up. School systems shouldn't tailor to one narrative of history as it implies that only one side of history is correct when there are multiple sides to a story that deserves to be illustrated. If we are more inclusive of all racialized communities, youth will experience being embraced by creating the stability and consistency that could be lacking in their personal lives. Once educational support is in place, youth can expect more out of themselves to become great individuals that can achieve anything.

References

Braithwaite, M. (Host). (2020, May 21). Dr. David Mackenzie - Australia. [Audio Podcast Episode]. In Out of the Blue.https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9vdXRvZnRoZWJsdWUubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M/episode/MTIyN2ZkYTQtOTQ2Ni00ZjVjLTg4ODgtZGQyZTBkNmQyYTQ0?ved=0CA0QzsICahcKEwjY44OBronqAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQMg&hl=en-CA

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Intervention Strategy 2- mental health and addiction support

The second cause that could be contributing to youth homelessness is inadequate mental health support in place. There could be many different reasons why an individual might need mental health support. After exploring some readings, I recognized that vulnerable youth populations such as Indigenous peoples, women and the LGBTQ+ have a hard time with mental illness. According to Bingham et al. (2019), the impact of colonization contributed to trauma that affected Indigenous Peoples. Bingham et al. (2019) also explained that the trauma was passed down through generations, thus creating intergenerational trauma. Intergenerational trauma made it hard for Indigenous Peoples to trust the Canadian government, primarily Indigenous women, as they feared receiving appropriate help when accessing mental health support because their children might be taken away. In the study by Bingham (2019), it was reported that “Indigenous women were more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD than indigenous men''(p.6). Another population would be the BIPOC youth with barriers preventing them from accessing appropriate mental health. According to Joseph (2017), immigrants have difficulty accessing mental health services because the practices are tailored to the more westernized racist attitudes that blame the immigrants for their mental illness. 

I also believe that there should be access to safe injection sites for anyone with an addiction and experiencing homelessness. The reasoning for an individual having an addiction should not dictate their eligibility to be in secure housing and to be alive. More safe injection sites can cure youth homelessness so individuals don’t end up overdosing or causing more health diseases that could create unhealthy lifestyles. According to Kidd et al. (2015), there is a correlation between mental health and addiction among homeless youth. There should be adequate mental health and addiction services that the youth in Toronto could benefit from that are inclusive of everyone because once youth see that, there are programs that could help the prevalence.

References

Bingham, B., Moniruzzaman, A., Patterson, M., Sareen, J., Distasio, J., O’Neil, J., & Somers, J. M. (2019). Gender differences among Indigenous Canadians experiencing homelessness and mental illness. BMC Psychology, 7(57), 1–12.

Joseph, A. (2017). Pathologizing distress: The colonial master's tools and mental health services for "Newcomers/Immigrants". In D. Baines (Ed.). Doing anti-oppressive practice: Social justice social work, 3rd Edition (pp. 233-245). Fernwood Publishing.

Kidd, S.A., Gaetz, S., & O’Grady, B. (2017). The 2015 National Canadian Homeless Youth Survey: Mental health and addiction findings. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry/La revue canadienne de psychiatrie,62(7), 493–500.

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Early intervention strategies for youth- (my ideas)

In the last segments, I defined the classification of youth, established potential causes and analyzed the current strategies for early youth homelessness intervention strategies. I have come up with five strategies that have already been spoken about briefly but could be more effective if Toronto implemented these as mandatory tools for youth to decrease and prevent the prevalence of youth homelessness. 

These five strategies would be 1. Building a healthy foundation of family support,2. Mental health supports that are accessible everywhere, 3. Educational support,4.employment guidance and 5. 2SLBTQ+ specific shelter systems.

This post will address building the healthy foundation of a strong family support system.

In earlier posts, I identified that having an unstable and lack of family support would have long-term effects on youth. To me, having a support system through your family is crucial to having stable, healthy living. Although the evidence is based in Alberta, it can be relevant for Toronto as author Schiff et al. (2016) explained that youth often become homeless because of abuse in the home (p.77). I feel that if there isn’t a stable or safe home environment, this will contribute to youth homelessness. According to Frederick et al. (2021), youth with a strong, consistent family support system has the strength to keep pushing through difficult times. But if there is neglect or abuse, then what? How can we prevent the youth from going into homelessness and not being in a harmful environment? I think connecting youth with their extended family could be beneficial as they can still have that sense of family community. If no other family is available, one can explore different strategies to get the individual a stable support system.

References 

Schiff, J. W., Schiff, R., & Turner, A. (2016). Rural homelessness in Western Canada: Lessons learned from diverse communities. Social Inclusion, 4(4), 73–85. Frederick, T. J., Vitopoulos, N., Stamatopoulos, V., & Kidd, S. A. (2021). Brief report: Youth homelessness, youthful caregiving, and resilience. Children and Youth Services Review, 129, 106177.  https://doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.10617

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Current  initiatives in Toronto  for homeless youth

Post 3.

In the last post, I discussed the different youth populations that experience homelessness more adversely than others. This post will discuss the current intervention plans in Toronto to address youth homelessness and their effectiveness. I recognize that we are currently in a pandemic, so everyone is overworked and burnt out. When the pandemic started, I and everyone else didn't believe it would affect us for almost three years. For the youth experiencing homelessness, I think that finding shelters with enough beds was the most challenging part. Covid-19 caused social distancing, which meant that the capacities in those shelters had to be significantly reduced so that the virus would spread rapidly. After researching, I found some initiatives currently helping youth experiencing homelessness. The YMCA of Greater Toronto has a service that provides youth with warm meals when you donate on the website( YMCA of Greater Toronto, n.d). Another initiative that I found through the City of Toronto website discussed a plan called "shelter diversion"(para 3). The city of Toronto (2022) explained that the approach "aims at working with youth aging out of the children's aid society(CAS)" to find appropriate and secure housing”(para 3). Author Abramovich (2016) offered strategies for helping LGBTQ+ youth by suggesting that those individuals be prioritized when accessing shelters. Although methods were raised for LGBTQ+ youth in 2016, in  2022, I still don't see changes. After sifting through many websites and platforms, I don't think these strategies are effective enough to prevent youth homelessness, especially at the height of the pandemic. Toronto should be taking more action to protect youth against homelessness because it can stop the increasing numbers.

References

Abramovich, A. (2016). Preventing, reducing and ending LGBTQ2S youth homelessness: The need for targeted strategies. Social Inclusion, 4(4), 1484–1501.

City of Toronto. (2022, November 4). Homelessness prevention. City of Toronto. Retrieved from, https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/grants-incentives-rebates/housing-homelessness-grants/homelessness-prevention/

Yes! I will help youth experiencing homelessness access vital supports and services. Youth Shelters | YMCA of Greater Toronto. (n.d.). Retrieved from, https://ymcagta.org/youthshelters/?utm_campaign=12540_YMCA_Holiday&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnNacBhDvARIsABnDa68Yo89UK5S0bRy-jxJfMZMIhZFSOVE7MFGpBa0O8NETVLjH0gYVagYaAlqQEALw_wcB

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vulnerable youth populations experiencing homelessness

In the last post, I established what is considered a youth in terms of age. I then spoke about statistics of youth homelessness in Toronto and discussed causes that could contribute to the rising numbers. In this post, I want to discuss the populations that experience youth homelessness possibly worse than others. Toronto is a highly diverse city with many different ethnicities and diversity in terms of sexual orientation. Diverse populations like the black Indigenous people of colour (BIPOC) experience youth homelessness far more significantly. I discovered through an article by authors Ansloos and Wager (2020) that Indigenous youth are overrepresented in the Canadian homeless population(p.3). I also found some statistics about Indigenous youth from the Homeless Hub (n.d) website that explained, “15 percent of indigenous peoples are experiencing homelessness in Toronto”( para 2). I believe that the overrepresentation of Indigenous youth experiencing homelessness is because of colonization's impact on their communities. I think this to be true because, in the article by Ansloos and Wager (2020), they explain that Indigenous youth wanted to "migrate from their homes for freedom" but then aren't able to find stable jobs and end up on the streets, thus creating the rise of youth homelessness (p.3). Other populations I found that experience youth homelessness would be the LBTQ+ and women communities. Author Abramovich (2016) highlights that in a study conducted in Toronto, LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in youth homelessness. According to Lyon et al.(2016), the survey showed many participants expressed difficulties accessing women-specific housing because of their gender expressions. I believe that everyone, no matter what everyone is entitled to the necessities of life no matter how one identifies. 

   References

Abramovich, A. (2016). Preventing, reducing and ending LGBTQ2S youth homelessness: The need for targeted strategies. Social Inclusion, 4(4), 1484–1501.

Ansloos, J. P., & Wager, A. C. (2020). Surviving in the cracks: A qualitative study with Indigenous youth on homelessness and applied community theatre. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 33(1), 50–65.

Youth homelessness. Youth Without Shelter. (n.d.). Retrieved from,

Indigenous peoples. Indigenous Peoples | The Homeless Hub. (n.d.). Retrieved from ,

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Introduction for Early Intervention Strategies for Youth homelessness + causes in Toronto Ontario

I have been in a homeless class for my fall semester, and we have discussed many different topics surrounding homelessness and ways to prevent and end homelessness. The issue I decided to discuss in this thread is the early intervention strategies for preventing youth homelessness in Toronto, Ontario. I wanted to create this blog so that there is more awareness about youth experiencing homelessness, and I hope whoever reads this will have the power to evoke change.

Firstly, to identify strategies to prevent youth homelessness in Toronto, we should first establish the age group of what youth are considered to be. According to Homeless hub(n.d)," youth can be anyone between the ages of 13-24”(para 1). 

Now that we have established the youth age group, we can look at the statistics, contributing factors, and causes. According to Youth Without Shelter (n.d), "1500-2000 youth are homeless in Toronto (para 1). During my research, I have identified causes and contributing factors that could be addressed that could become early intervention strategies. The first cause of youth homelessness would be disruptive family support in the individual's life. An example of this could be a result of choices of how one's sexual orientation. Another example would be if the individual witnessed violence within the home or had conditions unsuitable for the whole family, thus experiencing poverty. According to Radcliff et al. (2019), the effects of family dysfunction and homelessness that youth experienced negatively affected them both physically and emotionally as they aged. The second cause would be the lack of mental health and addiction support available for these youth. Another cause could be the lack of educational support in the school systems. Other causes I have encountered during research are the unavailability of employment guidance and the small number of 2SLGBTQ+specific shelter systems in Toronto.

 References

Radcliff, E., Crouch, E., Strompolis, M., & Srivastav, A. (2019). Homelessness in childhood and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Maternal and Child Health Journal, 23, 811–820.

Youth. Youth | The Homeless Hub. (n.d). Retrieved from

Youth homelessness. Youth Without Shelter. (n.d.). Retrieved from ,