In 2006, after extensive strategic planning and community consultations, Raising the Roof launched a national initiative – Youthworks - to help solve youth homelessness. We believe that the greatest opportunity to prevent long-term chronic homelessness is to address the issue when people are young.

Based on three years of research and consultation across Canada, we have authored Youth Homelessness in Canada: The Road to Solutions – a significant research report that describes the experiences of 689 street-involved youth in three Canadian cities - Calgary, Toronto and St. John’s. The project findings, along with invaluable feedback on those findings from service providers, researchers, policy makers and many other stakeholders, have enabled Raising the Roof to develop a snapshot of youth homelessness in Canada today.

Click below to download a pdf of the document.

1. We have provided funding and support to three agencies – in Calgary, Toronto and St. John’s – that serve homeless and at-risk youth. These agencies have helped us to follow the progress of close to 700 youth so that we can better understand which supports and approaches are working and where the gaps lie.
2. We have analyzed and verified what we learned from these youth and their counselors, consulting with service providers, researchers and policy makers across Canada.
3. We have brought together 250 community service providers, researchers, government representatives, corporate executives, previously homeless or street-engaged youth, from across Canada in a three-day national conference, asking for their input on how – as individual communities and a nation – we can work together to solve youth homelessness.
4. We have taken everything that we have learned to develop Youth Homelessness in Canada: The Road to Solutions – a research paper that we hope will serve as a catalyst for change.

Three strong themes have emerged from our youth interviews, the need for:

• Stability: youth tell us that it is almost impossible to focus on other challenges when you have no home and no money. They need affordable housing and sustainable employment before they can tackle other issues.
• Opportunity: homeless and at-risk youth have tremendous potential. They just need the right opportunities and supports, e.g. employment and job training, and help in connecting with educational opportunities.
• and Support: like all young people, homeless and at-risk youth need guidance when challenges come their way. Support is one of the most important factors in their survival and success.

Facts

• The majority of youth interviewed have not completed high school. Their lack of education is standing in the way of getting careers.
• About one-third of the youth live in shelters.
• More than two-thirds of the young people said they'd grown up in a family that found it hard to maintain consistent housing.
• Over 70% of the youth indicated that they did not have a positive role model in their life.

Observations

• Basic needs come first. Many youth showing up through outreach are in crisis. They may not immediately identify a lack of education, for example, because they are focused on urgent, practical needs. Once survival has been addressed, they are more willing to tackle other issues.
• Given the opportunity to learn an essential skill, many youth express relief that they no longer feel "stupid" or excluded.
• Many of the young people can only afford substandard accommodation that does not lend itself to making healthy lifestyle choices.
• Leaving the street involves more than finding a place to sleep. Many youth have adapted to the street lifestyle and find it difficult to integrate back into society.
• These youth have tremendous survival skills, hopes and dreams for the future that are no different from others their age.

Youth Homelessness in Canada: The Road to Solutions offers these conclusions about what is needed to solve youth homelessness:

• Strong national leadership and a well-coordinated, appropriately resourced plan
• A Canada-wide commitment to address youth homelessness…as a distinct and coordinated policy area supported by local community-based delivery and leadership
• Public education to help address prejudice and stereotyping and to build understanding of the social and economic impact of failing to address this issue

Click below for a pdf of our research paper Youth Homelessness in Canada: The Road to Solutions

Over the next three years, Raising the Roof plans to build upon the groundbreaking work of the first phase of Youthworks. Our goal: to reach out to three key stakeholder groups whose engagement is critical to the achievement of lasting solutions to youth homelessness – the private sector; individual Canadians; communities and governments.

Our work:

1. Engaging the private sector – developing replicable employment, skills training and mentorship programs for at-risk youth
2. Engaging Canadians – developing and launching a national public awareness campaign that educates Canadians about the true nature of youth homelessness
3. Engaging communities and governments – strategic collaboration with governments and community networks to create momentum for change

• It has been estimated that one-third of Canada's homeless population are youth. That means that close to 65,000 young people are without a place to call home at some time during the year.
• Abuse and neglect are two of the major reasons why young people leave home. Several studies show that nearly 70% of homeless youth have experienced some form of sexual, physical or emotional abuse.
• Homeless youth are exposed to significantly more physical abuse, sickness, injury and mental health problems than their non-homeless peers, with often long-term implications for their self-esteem, relationships, and ability to become self-supporting. A Quebec study found that the death rate among homeless youth was 11 times higher than in the general population.

• The cost of keeping a youth in the shelter system is not easily defined, but estimates are between $30,000 - $40,000 per year
• Keeping just one youth in detention adds up to over $250 a day, or $100,000 a year

(ref: Gordon Laird, Shelter, Homelessness in a Growth Economy, Canada’s 21st Century Paradox, A Report for the Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership, 2007)

Helping Canada's homeless youth makes good social and economic sense. When we provide young people with the skills and supports to become self-sufficient, we are enabling them to become contributing members of society. Everyone benefits.

At its core, Youthworks is about hope – a powerful testament to the belief that no young person is beyond hope and that everyone, if given the appropriate supports and training, has the potential to become a productive, contributing member of our society.

By engaging Canadians, individually and collectively, in real, practical solutions to youth homelessness, designed to prevent young people from drifting into an adult life of homelessness and despair, Raising the Roof is making an investment in Canada’s future. We very much hope that you will join us in this important investment, and help us give these vulnerable youth hope and a way forward.

We'll be updating this page throughout the project. Please check back to follow our progress. For more information about the Youthworks initiative, contact Carolann Barr at .

With support, homeless youth can succeed, and when they succeed, we all benefit.

	The Youthworks Board of Advisors is providing strategic advice to the initiative as it progresses. The Board's members are: Sean Gadon (Chair) Partnership Director, Affordable Housing Office, City of Toronto Geraldine Babcock, Supervisor, Youth Employment Programs Unit, Social Development, Finance and Administration, City of Toronto Shirley Chau, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, University of B.C., Okanagan Jerry Fest, Youth Development Consultant, Portland, Oregon Stephen Gaetz, Associate Dean, Research and Field Development, Faculty of Education, York University, Toronto Jocelyn Greene, Executive Director, Stella Burry Community Services, St. John's David Hulchanski, Director, Centre for Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto Jeff Karabanow, Professor, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Halifax Bill O'Grady, Associate Professor, Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph

	We couldn't do this critical work without the commitment of some very generous partners, as indicated below. Thank you to all our wonderful Youthworks supporters! But we need even more support to succeed. If you are a corporation, foundation, or an individual looking to make a meaningful contribution to our society, consider making that investment in our most precious resource - our young people of Canada. Lead Partner Major Partner Supporting Partners We also thank the following organizations for their generous support: Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Canadian Homelessness Research Network J.P. Bickell Foundation Jays Care Foundation John and Heather Hall Lerners LLP McMillan BInch LLP Rosedale United Church TD Securities Inc. Urban Core Support Network To learn more about becoming a funding partner, contact Maureen Gallagher at maureen@raisingtheroof.org or at (416) 489-6105.