884433_DPE (2)

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Oct 30, 2023

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1 POLICY BRIEF Increased funding for support and prevention of youth homeless What’s the issue? In youth homelessness is a significant issue that effects thousands of young people every year. Youth homeless are the fastest grow population group among homeless and have been seeing increase within the 21 st century. The cause of youth homeless in undefined but most often falls in general categorizes of family conflict, abuse, neglect and poverty. Very commonly these people are at a higher risk of experiencing mental health issues, physical and sexual abuse, addiction and detrimental health problems. They are also faced with barriers when trying to access education and enter the workforce, which leads to long-term economic instability. There are plans and programs in effect to help youth homeless in Canada that use many strategies, there is also a larger recognition of this issue recently within media and Canadian house holds. Although the problem has been acknowledged and some steps have been taken, Canada has much more to do. (HomelessHub, 2021) Understanding the problem Youth homeless is a crucial issue due to many reasons. Due to financial and personal problems forcing them into homelessness, most youth are unable to every get out of this situation, leading them into a life of homelessness for the rest of their lives. In Toronto the death median in 2017 was 48*, significantly lower than that of non-homeless individuals. Letting our Canadian youth succumb to homelessness is nearly guarantying they live they rest of there lives fighting to survive. Additionally increasing numbers of homeless tends to increase nonviolent crimes in low-income neighborhoods and in shelters. Often individuals are left to steal to survive. Youth homeless are unfortunately often looked down upon as a group, Canadians tend to view them as less-than and there is a stigma that it is their own fault for ending up in that situation. The truth is often they have been impacted by factors they have no control over. So there is both a need for increased funding towards supporting them and increased awareness surrounding the subject. What is Canada doing? Canada has many programs in effect, targeted towards helping homeless and youth homeless, so why is homelessness still a major issue within Canada? There are many complicated parts of answers to this, the simplest explanations are not enough funding and inefficient programing. Lots of programs exist throughout Canada to shelter and feed homeless, the issue is with limited resources. While these are

2 somewhat effective the capped resources only allows for programs to house or feed a small percentage of the homeless population. Furthermore, a study examining cost of certain programs revealed affordable housing programs were much cheap than emergency shelter programs (which are more commonly funded), “ Not only is putting someone in housing cheaper, it is also much more humane. The longer someone remains homeless, the greater likelihood that their physical and mental health will deteriorate and there is an increased chance of an early death. ” (HomelessHub, 2021). What more can we do? My proposed plan is an increase in funding for programs that are helpful to prevent and reduce youth homeless, the increase in funding allows for individuals to get out of homelessness and create sustainable futures for themselves. Recently programs related to affordable housing targeted towards homeless have proven to be affective in reducing homeless and helping them get back on track. As well there needs to be an increase in spending towards families at risk of homelessness, Canada ’s Hous ing Benefit is a program helping some households with rent, which is helpful but unfortunately not enough households are allowed to apply and therefor still struggle to afford housing. More funding allows for more households to apply and receive benefit, which greatly improves the lives of youth at risk of homelessness. Additionally, if Canada is looking to reduce youth homelessness, programs that intervene early are a sure-fire way to reduce the chances of individuals becoming homeless. These programs involve attempting to keep families connected, helping youth with drug and alcohol related problems, identifying struggling individuals in school, and providing support to those struggling with mental health problems. All of these are key issues that send many youths into homelessness. References Canadian Observation on Homelessness. “Cost Analysis of Homelessness.” Cost Analysis Of Homelessness | The Homeless Hub. https://www.homelesshub.ca/about- homelessness/homelessness-101/cost-analysis-homelessness . Government of Cana da, Statistics Canada. “Government Spending by Function, 2021.” Statistics Canada, November 25, 2022. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily- quotidien/221125/dq221125a-eng.htm . Medical Officer of Health. “Deaths of People Experiencing Homelessness: 2017 Review.” Deaths of People Experiencing Homelessness. Board of Health Toronto. https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2018/hl/bgrd/backgroundfile-113980.pdf .

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