TORONTO, Nov. 27, 2014 – Long seen as a big city problem, youth homelessness is as real in suburban York Region as in Toronto and demands a coordinated, systemic response, according to a new study published today.

The report Leaving Home: Youth Homelessness in York Region draws on research conducted with 60 young people who have experienced homelessness in York Region, as well as interviews with service agencies.

It is part of a joint project by United Way York Region, the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, and the Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) Unit at York University, focused on finding new ways to respond collaboratively to address homelessness among youth in the sprawling region north of Toronto.

With more than one million residents in nine municipalities, York Region has a range of public, non-profit and charitable programs, systems and services for low-income and homeless individuals and families. However, in spite of some excellent programming for young people, many youths who are homeless are forced to leave because they and their families are not getting the supports they need, the study found.

“When young people leave their communities and move to Toronto or some other big city, they become even more at risk of victimization or exploitation, and their health declines,” says York University professor Stephen Gaetz, director of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. “Our research shows there were multiple missed opportunities for intervention. Some youth needed more family support to address conflict or abuse, some needed more support from school and others needed better access to mental health services and addictions treatment.”

Daniele Zanotti, CEO of York Region United Way, said it is critical to provide a network of services in every neighbourhood, so young people can access support where and when they need it.‎

“We have many excellent service agencies and frontline programs.  We need an integrated system approach − to prevent youth from becoming homeless, stop the flow of young people from institutional care into homelessness, and intervene early to help them remain in their communities,” said Zanotti. “By working together, we can make York Region a national leader in the prevention of youth homelessness.”

“We have many excellent service agencies but we need an integrated approach to youth homelessness in order to prevent youth from becoming homeless, stop the flow of young people from institutional care into homelessness, and intervene early to help them remain in their communities,” said Zanotti. “By working together, we can make York Region a leader nationally in the prevention of youth homelessness.”

Key recommendations in the report include:

• Develop a working group to address youth homelessness with participation from the education sector, child protection, mental health, youth justice, all levels of government and the homelessness sector, mainstream service providers and York Region United Way.
• Align York Region’s plan with the emerging provincial government strategy to end youth homelessness
• Engage the York Region District School Board and York Catholic District School Board in an early prevention initiative
• Support ‘harm reduction’ approaches rather than ‘abstinence only’ when working with young people at risk of homelessness
• Increase young people’s access to and awareness of support and services related to employment, education, affordable housing, and mental health supports.

 

United Way York Region serves nine municipalities: Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, and Whitchurch-Stouffville. In addition to its traditional role of supporting agencies to meet urgent needs, United Way is working to tackle the root causes of social issues. To help strengthen York Region’s quality of life, United Way is uniting people and resources on three priorities: moving people from poverty to possibility, helping kids be all they can be, and building strong neighbourhoods.

The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, located at York University, is an SSHRC funded consortium dedicated to mobilizing research so it has a greater impact on policy and practice. The Homeless Hub (www.homelesshub.ca) is the world’s largest repository of homeless research, designed to support communities in creating solutions to homelessness.

York University is helping to shape the global thinkers and thinking that will define tomorrow. York U’s unwavering commitment to excellence reflects a rich diversity of perspectives and a strong sense of social responsibility that sets us apart. A York U degree empowers graduates to thrive in the world and achieve their life goals through a rigorous academic foundation balanced by real-world experiential education. As a globally recognized research centre, York U is fully engaged in the critical discussions that lead to innovative solutions to the most pressing local and global social challenges. York U’s 11 faculties and 25 research centres are thinking bigger, broader and more globally, partnering with 280 leading universities worldwide. York U’s community is strong − 55,000 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and more than 270,000 alumni.

Media Contacts:
Janice Walls, York University, 416 736 2100 x22101, wallsj@yorku.ca