Coming of Age

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Coming of Age #11 Coming of Age Reimagining the Response to Youth Homelessness in Canada Stephen A. Gaetz Coming of Age Reimagining the Response to Youth Homelessness in Canada ISBN 978-1550145946 © 2014 The Homeless Hub This report is protected under a Creative Commons license that allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work for non-commercial purposes, provided you attribute it to the original source. How to cite this document: Gaetz, S. (2014). Coming of Age: Reimagining the Response to Youth Homelessness in Canada. Toronto: The Canadian Homelessness Research Network Press. The Homeless Hub Research Report Series is a Canadian Homelessness Research Network initiative to highlight the work of top Canadian researchers on homelessness. The goal of the Research Report Series is to take homelessness research and relevant policy findings to new audiences. Research reports in this series constitute original, primary research and have undergone a rigorous peer review process. For more information visit www.homelesshub.ca. Acknowledgements: Editing: Tanya Gulliver, Allyson Marsolais Layout & Design by: Evan Winland-Gaetz, Patricia Lacroix The Homeless Hub (www.homelesshub.ca) is a web-based research library and resource centre, supported by the Canadian Homelessness Research Network. About the Author Stephen Gaetz, PhD Associate Professor: Faculty of Education, York University Director: Canadian Homelessness Research Network Stephen Gaetz’s research has focused on the economic strategies, health, education and legal and justice issues of people who are homeless, as well as solutions to homelessness from both Canadian and international perspectives. Dr. Gaetz is the Director of the Canadian Homelessness Research Network and the Homeless Hub, projects dedicated to mobilizing homelessness research to have a greater impact on policy, planning and service provision, thereby contributing to solutions to end homelessness in Canada. Prior to coming to York University, Dr. Gaetz worked in the youth homelessness sector for several years, both at Shout Clinic and Queen West Community Health Centre in Toronto. He also spent a short time with the City of Toronto in Community and Neighbourhood Services. http://edu.yorku.ca/edu-profiles/index.php?mid=112721 A Homeless Hub Research Paper About this Report The goal of the report, ‘Coming of Age: Reimagining the Response to Youth Homelessness in Canada’ is to present an argument for approaching how we respond to youth homelessness in a new way. The report achieves this by pulling together key information about youth homelessness, to better inform how we respond to the problem. As a peer-reviewed research document, Dr. Gaetz draws on an existing base of research in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, in order to identify effective approaches to youth homelessness policy and practice. The report also draws heavily on several previous works by Dr. Gaetz, including “Live, Learn, Grow: Supporting Transitions to Adulthood for Homeless Youth–A Framework for the Foyer in Canada” (Gaetz & Scott, 2012) and several chapters from the book Youth Homelessness in Canada: Implications for Policy and Practice and in particular, the concluding chapter Ending Youth Homelessness in Canada is Possible: The Role of Prevention (Gaetz et al., 2013a). While this is a research report that will appeal to academics, the intended audience is much broader. It has been written in a way to appeal to students, service providers, policy makers and the general public. The key arguments are intended to help inform decision-making in government, communities and social service agencies. As a research document, it provides an evidentiary base for creating more effective responses to youth homelessness. As a public document, it is intended to inspire change and innovation, with the ultimate goal of contributing to real and effective solutions to youth homelessness in Canada. A Homeless Hub Research Paper Index 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Ending Youth Homelessness 2 1.2 The Evidence 4 1.3 The Structure of this Report 5 About Youth Homelessness 6 2.0 Developing a Response Based on the Needs of Young People 2.1 What We Know About Youth Homelessness 7 2.2 Adolescence, Young Adulthood and the Experience of Homelessness 9 2.3 The Causes of Youth Homelessness 10 2.4 A Definition of Youth Homelessness 13 2.5 A Typology of Youth Homelessness 15 2.6 Conclusion 17 3.0 Developing a Strategy to End Youth Homelessness 18 3.1 Responding to Youth Homelessness 19 3.2 Rethinking the Canadian Response to Youth Homelessness 21 3.3 Turning the Curve: Developing an Effective Strategy to end Youth Homelessness 24 A Develop a Plan 25 B Create an Integrated Systems Response 26 C Facilitate Active, Strategic and Coordinated Engagement by all Levels of 28 Government and Interdepartmental Collaboration D Adopt a Youth Development Orientation 29 E Incorporate Research, Data Gathering and Information Sharing 30 3.4 Conclusion: Making the Shift from Managing Youth Homelessness to 31 Prevention and Rehousing Preventing Youth Homelessness 32 4.0 What do we Know and What can we do? 4.1 Framework for Prevention 33 4.2 Primary Prevention 34 4.3 Systems Prevention 40 4.4 Early Intervention 45 4.5 Conclusion 60 Emergency Services 61 5.0 Retooling the System 5.1 What is a Retooled Emergency System? 62 5.2 Key Elements 63 A Shorter Stays in Emergency Shelters 63 B Integration Into a ‘System of Care’ 65 C Go Smaller 66 D Zero Discharge Into Homelessness 67 E Day Programs and Case Management 68 F Mental Health Supports 69 G Harm Reduction 70 H An Anti-Discrimination Framework and Practice 71 I Outreach 73 J Legal and Justice Issues 74 5.3 Conclusion 76 6.0 Accommodation and Supports 77 6.1 Integration Into a ‘System of Care’ 78 6.2 Accommodation Options for Youth 85 6.3 Conclusion 97 7. 0 Conclusion 98 7. 1 Moving Forward 101 REF References 102 A Appendices 118 A The Response to Youth Homelessness in the United Kingdom 101 1. Strategic Planning and Coordination 119 2. Prevention 120 3. Accommodation 122 4. Wider Needs (Supports) 123 B Roadmap for Youth Homelessness (Australia, 2008) 124 C United States Interagency Council on Homelessness 127 Framework to End Youth Homelessness: A Resource Text for Dialogue and Action Diagrams 1. The Canadian Response to Youth Homelessness 10 2. The NAEH Typology of Youth Homelessness 16 3. The Present Canadian Response to Youth 20 Homelessness 4. Youth Homelessness as a “Fusion Policy” Issue 28 5. Shifting the Emphasis to Prevention and Rehousing 31 6. A Framework for Preventing Youth Homelessness 33 7. Early Intervention Framework 46 8. Accommodation as part of a System of Care 78 9. Intervention Model for Approaching Service Delivery. 128 ON DEALING WITH A CRISIS It is a truism that disasters require an emergency or crisis response. In August 2003, a major wildfire, fueled by high winds and drought near Kelowna, British Columbia, turned into a firestorm that quickly spread towards populated suburban areas, eventually forcing the evacuation of 27,000 residents. Eight years later, in 2011, another major wildfire devastated the community of Slave Lake, Alberta. The fire forced the complete evacuation of the town’s 7,000 residents. Both of these events were devastating for the communities’ residents. They lost their homes, their possessions and their communities. In the face of both tragedies a rapid crisis response was quickly implemented. People displaced by the fire were relocated to other communities and provided temporary emergency shelter in motels, school gymnasiums, local hockey arenas and, in many cases, slept on cots or mats. They were given food, clothing and hygiene supplies. Plans were made to find them new housing and lessons were learned about how to prepare for and prevent, future disasters. But, imagine for a second that the individuals and families in Kelowna or Slave Lake were still living in hockey arenas or motels all these years later. That would seem shocking and absurd and most of us would see this as the complete failure of our emergency response–that we really, really let these people down. So why, are we satisfied with an emergency response to youth homelessness that allows young people to languish in shelters for years at a time, entrenching them in street life keeping them from school and undermining their ability to move into adulthood in a healthy and fulfilling way? Some of us believe, without any evidence to back this up, that homeless youth choose the street life, or that they are delinquents. We do not hold the victims of fires to account and presume that because they chose to live in cities on the edges of forests that they are responsible for their predicament and that it is ok to keep them in shelters indefinitely. While emergency services will always be necessary, this should not be the basis of our response to youth homelessness. We need to refocus our efforts on preventing it from happening in the first place. For those who can no longer stay at home we must develop a crisis response that allows them to rapidly move into housing in a safe and planned way, with the supports they need to help them transition to a healthy and fulfilling adulthood. A Homeless Hub Research Paper Introduction 1.01.3 On the surface, youth homelessness seems to be an intractable problem. In many Canadian cities, the sight of young people panhandling or sleeping in parks may be unsettling, but by 2014 it probably doesn’t shock most people. It seems that we have been dealing with this problem for a very long time; because of its persistence the solutions to youth homelessness can appear elusive. However, the reality is that youth homelessness, as a pervasive When taken as a whole, our response to youth problem, is relatively new in Canada.
Recommended publications
  • Homelessness a System Perspective
    Homelessness A System Perspective Christian Seelos1 Global Innovation for Impact Lab, Stanford University PACS How to cite: Seelos, C (2021) Homelessness. A System Perspective (Part 1). Case Study_2021_001, Global Innovation for Impact Lab at Stanford PACS. 1 I am grateful to my colleagues Johanna Mair and Charlotte Traeger for joint interviews and reflection sessions throughout the work on this case study. Table of Contents Part 1 - The emergence of homelessness as a social problem The 1960s – Wars on poverty we can’t win… _____________________________________ 5 Contemporary frames of poverty __________________________________________________ 6 Challenges of addressing complex social problems ____________________________________ 6 The 1970s – Setting the course for homelessness _________________________________ 10 The undeserving poor: Framing the problem of homelessness __________________________ 10 A troubling situation but not a social problem _______________________________________ 12 The 1980s – Homelessness emerges as a social problem ___________________________ 14 Homeless numbers-games and convenient explanations ______________________________ 15 The awakening of homelessness activism ___________________________________________ 16 Radical activism _______________________________________________________________ 17 Research and documentation ____________________________________________________ 17 Litigation _____________________________________________________________________ 19 Dedicated organizations ________________________________________________________
    [Show full text]
  • Sheltering the Homeless: Social Mobility Along the Continuum of Care
    Sheltering the Homeless: Social Mobility Along the Continuum of Care Charles Hoch Professor Lynette Bowden Research Assistant Great Cities Institute College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs University of Illinois at Chicago A Great Cities Institute Working Paper Sheltering the Homeless: Social Mobility Along the Continuum of Care Charles Hoch Professor Lynette Bowden Research Assistant Great Cities Institute College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs University of Illinois at Chicago A Great Cities Institute Working Paper November 1998 The Great Cities Institute The Great Cities Institute is an interdisciplinary, applied urban research unit within the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Its mission is to create, disseminate, and apply interdisciplinary knowledge on urban areas. Faculty from UIC and elsewhere work collaboratively on urban issues through interdisciplinary research, outreach and education projects. About the Authors Charles Hoch is a professor in the Urban Planning and Policy Program in the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago and was a Faculty Scholar at Great Cities Institute from fall 1997 through spring 1998. He can be reached at [email protected]. Lynette Bowden is a former research assistant at the Great Cities Institute. Additional Copies Great Cities Institute (MC 107) College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs University of Illinois at Chicago 412 S. Peoria Street, Suite 400 Chicago IL 60607-7067 Phone: 312-996-8700 FAX: 312-996-8933 Great Cities Institute Publication Number: GCP-98-3 The views expressed in this report represent those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Great Cities Institute or the University of Illinois at Chicago.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Hostels and Temporary Accommodation
    Part A _ Articles 67 The Role of Hostels and Temporary Accommodation Volker Busch-Geertsema and Ingrid Sahlin Gesellschaft für innovative Sozialforschung und Sozialplanung (GISS), Bremen, Germany Department of Social Work, Göteborg University, Sweden >> Abstract_ The provision of hostel accommodation for those who are homeless has a long history. Despite the fact that their functions and consequences are often questioned, hostels remain a basic element in the provision of services for those who are homeless in all European countries. The aim of this paper is to consider the present-day role of homeless hostels as temporary accom- modation, and to discuss its qualities in an “ ideal ” situation. We do this through presenting and discussing the main functions allegedly served by the hostel, as well as its inherent and associated problems. Following a brief review of housing-led approaches to reduce homelessness, we suggest minimum requirements concerning security of tenure, standard and support if a decent quality of existing and future hostels is to be ensured. Our conclu- sion is that the reasons for hostels boil down to a need for physical shelter in emergency and transition situations where self-contained dwellings and regular hotels are unavailable or deficient. However, an organised provision of mainstream housing, let with security of tenure and coupled with support when requested by the residents is the only working solution to homelessness and would also minimise the need for homeless hostels. >> Key Words_ hostels, shelters, temporary accommodation, homeless accom- modation, security of tenure ISSN 2030-2762 / ISSN 2030-3106 online 68 European Journal of Homelessness _ Volume 1, December 2007 Introduction Hostels are perhaps the oldest institution for homeless people, existent long before there were any explicit policies to mitigate and resolve homelessness.
    [Show full text]
  • Strategies to Combat Homelessness
    Strategies to combat homelessness United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) Nairobi, 2000 This publication has been reproduced without formal editing by the United Nations. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers of boundaries. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the United Nations, and a failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product or process is not a sign of disapproval. Excerpts from the text may be reproduced without authorisation, on condition that the source is indicated. Cover design: Amrik Kalsi, UNCHS (Habitat), Nairobi Cover photos credits: UNCHS (Habitat), UNICEF and Mark Edwards Printing: UNON Printshop, Nairobi United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) Nairobi, 2000 HS / 599 / 00 E ISBN 92-1-131458-5 An electronic version of this publication is available for download from the UNCHS (Habitat) web-site by August 2000. The electronic version — in compiled HTML format, allowing complex text searches — requires Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows 95 plus Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 4 or later). United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) publications can be obtained from UNCHS (Habitat)’s Regional Offices or directly from: United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), Publications Unit, P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya Fax: 254-2-604060 E-mail: [email protected] URL: http://www.unchs.org Preface Within the next few years, and for the first time in human history, more people will live in cities and towns than in rural areas.
    [Show full text]
  • HOMELESSNESS and the HOMELESS: Responses and Innovations
    HOMELESSNESS AND THE HOMELESS: Responses and Innovations A Canadian Contribution to IYSH 1987 H. Peter Oberlander and Arthur L Fallick The Centre for Human Settlements Faculty of Graduate Studies The University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada HOMELESSNESS AND THE HOMELESS: RESPONSES AND INNOVATIONS A CANADIAN CONTRIBUTION TO IYSH 1987 by H. Peter Oberlander and Arthur L. Fallick ****** Centre for Human Settlements The University of British Columbia 1988 The research and publication of this report was made possible through a generous grant from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC); the views expressed are the personal views of the authors. TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE 1 THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF SHELTER FOR THE HOMELESS 3 Objectives of the International Year 5 Global Conditions and the IYSH 6 Sources of Homelessness in Canada 11 Numerical Estimates 12 Canada's Homeless 13 CANADIAN INITIATIVES DURING THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR 17 Regional Initiatives 17 Traditional Support for the Poor and Disadvantaged 21 SELECTED CANADIAN SOLUTIONS 26 Criteria for Selecting Canadian Solutions 26 Demonstrating Successful Initiatives 59 A FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION BEYOND THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR 131 BIBLIOGRAPHY 141 PREFACE The International Year of Shelter for the Home­ senior and experienced colleagues together with less focussed attention on the plight of the graduate students, to discuss the issue of home­ homeless nationally and internationally. Canada lessness, review relevant papers and advise on Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Canada's approach and scope of analysis. Their collective national housing agency, served as the national contribution is deeply appreciated. focal point and supported a wide range of The haunting line drawings portraying the initiatives to identify and highlight the best homeless in their daily search for shelter, means of aiding the homeless and alleviating food, clothing and dignity of life, are the work homelessness.
    [Show full text]
  • Homelessness and Poverty: Reviewing the Links
    Heriot-Watt University Research Gateway Homelessness and poverty: reviewing the links Citation for published version: Johnsen, S & Watts, B 2014, Homelessness and poverty: reviewing the links. Heriot-Watt University. Link: Link to publication record in Heriot-Watt Research Portal Document Version: Early version, also known as pre-print General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via Heriot-Watt Research Portal is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Take down policy Heriot-Watt University has made every reasonable effort to ensure that the content in Heriot-Watt Research Portal complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 30. Sep. 2021 Homelessness and Poverty: Reviewing the Links A Report for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Anti-Poverty Programme Sarah Johnsen & Beth Watts Institute for Social Policy, Housing, Environment and Real Estate (I-SPHERE), Heriot-Watt University Acknowledgements The authors would like to extend their sincere thanks to the stakeholders interviewed for taking the time to share their knowledge and expertise. Thanks are also due to Chris Goulden, Kathleen Kelly and Suzanne Fitzpatrick for their valuable comments on an earlier draft. Contents
    [Show full text]
  • Homelessness, Victimization and Crime: Knowledge and Actionable Recommendations
    ARCHIVED - Archiving Content ARCHIVÉE - Contenu archivé Archived Content Contenu archivé Information identified as archived is provided for L’information dont il est indiqué qu’elle est archivée reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It est fournie à des fins de référence, de recherche is not subject to the Government of Canada Web ou de tenue de documents. Elle n’est pas Standards and has not been altered or updated assujettie aux normes Web du gouvernement du since it was archived. Please contact us to request Canada et elle n’a pas été modifiée ou mise à jour a format other than those available. depuis son archivage. Pour obtenir cette information dans un autre format, veuillez communiquer avec nous. This document is archival in nature and is intended Le présent document a une valeur archivistique et for those who wish to consult archival documents fait partie des documents d’archives rendus made available from the collection of Public Safety disponibles par Sécurité publique Canada à ceux Canada. qui souhaitent consulter ces documents issus de sa collection. Some of these documents are available in only one official language. Translation, to be provided Certains de ces documents ne sont disponibles by Public Safety Canada, is available upon que dans une langue officielle. Sécurité publique request. Canada fournira une traduction sur demande. HOMELESSNESS, VICTIMIZATION AND CRIME: Knowledge and Actionable Recommendations Institute for the Prevention of Crime www.prevention-crime.ca Acknowledgements This report was prepared for the Homelessness Partnering Strategy and received funding from the National Research Program of the National Homelessness Initiative. The research and recommendations are that of the Institute for the Prevention of Crime (IPC) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Housing and Homelessness Branch.
    [Show full text]
  • European Journal of Homelessness
    European Observatory on Homelessness European Journal of Homelessness Quality and Standards in Homelessness Services and Housing for Marginal Groups Volume 1 _ December 2007 194, Chaussée de Louvain n 1210 Brussels n Belgium Tel.: + 32 2 538 66 69 n Fax: + 32 2 539 41 74 [email protected] n www.feantsa.org EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HOMELESSNESS Journal Philosophy The European Journal of Homelessness provides a critical analysis of policy and practice on homelessness in Europe for policy makers, practitioners, researchers and academics. The aim is to stimulate debate on homelessness and housing exclusion at the European level and to facilitate the development of a stronger evidential base for policy development and innovation. The journal seeks to give international exposure to significant national, regional and local developments and to provide a forum for comparative analysis of policy and practice in preventing and tackling homelessness in Europe. The journal will also assess the lessons for Europe which can be derived from policy, practice and research from elsewhere. The European Journal of Homelessness is produced by FEANTSA’s European Observatory on Homelessness. Co-ordinator Bill Edgar, European Housing Research Ltd, Dundee, UK Editorial Team Joe Doherty, Centre for Housing Research, St Andrews University, UK Suzanne Fitzpatrick, Centre for Housing Policy, University of York, UK Eoin O’Sullivan, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland Core Research Team Lars Benjaminsen, SFI, The Danish National Centre for Social Research, Copenhagen, Denmark.
    [Show full text]
  • Homelessness and Health in Canada
    HOMELESSNESS AND HEALTH IN CANADA HOMELESSNESS AND HEALTH IN CANADA EDITED BY Manal Guirguis-Younger Ryan McNeil Stephen W. Hwang University of Ottawa Press 2014 The University of Ottawa Press acknowledges with gratitude the support extended to its publishing list by Heritage Canada through the Canada Book Fund, by the Canada Council for the Arts, by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences through the Awards to Scholarly Publications Program and by the University of Ottawa. Copy editing: Trish O’Reilly-Brennan Proofreading: Joanne Muzak Typesetting: Infographie CS Cover illustration and design: Johanna Pedersen eBook development: WildElement.ca Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Homelessness & health in Canada / edited by Manal Guirguis-Younger, Ryan McNeil, Stephen W. Hwang. Includes bibliographical references. Issued in print and electronic formats. ISBN 978-0-7766-2143-2 (pbk.).-- ISBN 978-0-7766-2148-7 (pdf).-- ISBN 978-0-7766-2147-0 (epub) 1. Homelessness--Health aspects--Canada. 2. Homeless persons-- Health and hygiene--Canada. 3. Homeless persons--Medical care--Canada. 4. Homeless persons--Government policy--Canada. 5. Homeless persons-- Canada--Social conditions. I. Guirguis-Younger, Manal, 1967- author, editor of compilation II. McNeil, Ryan, 1982- author, editor of compilation III. Hwang, Stephen, editor of compilation IV. Title: Homelessness and health in Canada. RA564.9.H63H64 2014 362.1’0425 C2014-901278-0 C2014-901279-9 © University of Ottawa Press, 2014 Printed in Canada Table of Contents
    [Show full text]
  • View from the Street 2021
    Coalition for the Homeless: View from the Street 2021 April 2021 VIEW FROM THE STREET UNSHELTERED NEW YORKERS AND THE NEED FOR SAFETY, DIGNITY, AND AGENCY By Lindsey Davis By Senior Director of Crisis Services, Coalition for the Homeless Foreword by Kim Hopper Professor of Clinical Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health Coa- lition for the Homeless: View from the Street 2021 SAFETY, DIGNITY, AGENCY 11 Coalition for the Homeless: View from the Street 2021 March 2021 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project was conceived, designed, and executed with the invaluable help of Kim Hopper, whose decades of influential work with, and on behalf of, people experiencing homelessness continues to shed light on the path forward. This project would also not have been possible without the help of Coalition for the Homeless staff who generously volunteered their time and expertise during countless late nights and early mornings, including Liz Henderson, Katie Mack, Lauren May, Jenn Solomon, Joseph Timmons, and Destini Torres. A special thanks to Steven Lopez and Juan De La Cruz without whom we would not have reached nearly as many of our unsheltered neighbors, and to Tim Campbell for helping shepherd this project through to its completion. Finally, thank you to Dave Giffen for envisioning this project with me more than three years ago and giving voice to the experience of the unsheltered New Yorkers we serve. SAFETY, DIGNITY, AGENCY 2 Coalition for the Homeless: View from the Street 2021 INTRODUCTION March 2021 Forty years ago, the Community Service Society of New York published what proved to be a momentous study of the “Homelessness has taken on a rarified connotation lives of homeless New Yorkers, Private Lives / Public Spaces, that I’m a stereotype instead of being minus a which “sought to obtain the perspective of the chronically home, and the two shouldn’t be connected, but mentally disabled as they were confronted by day-to-day they are.
    [Show full text]
  • Women, Poverty and Homelessness in Canada
    Voices: Women, Poverty and Homelessness in Canada By Rusty Neal May 2004 Voices The National Anti–Poverty Study on Homelessness Organization’s This report is dedicated to the brave women who participated in this study, and to homeless women across Canada who struggle daily for their voices to be heard. Acknowledgements Primary writer: Rusty Neal Additional writer: Sandra Bender Researcher: Marie–José Dancoste Editor: Sandra Bender Translation: Mireille Levesque Revision: Madeleine Roy Proofreading: Jennifer Wessner Preliminary Design: Margie Adam, ArtWork Final Design: Evolving Media & Design Inc. Partial Funding: National Network on Environments and Women’s Health and an anonymous NAPO donor. The National Anti–Poverty Organization 2212 Gladwin Crescent, Unit 7 Ottawa ON K1B 5N1 Canada Telephone: 613.789.0096 Facsimile: 613.789.0141 Voices: Women, Poverty and Homelessness in Canada in Homelessness and Poverty Women, ounded in 1971, as a result of the Poor People’s Conference held in Toronto, the National Anti- Poverty Organization (NAPO) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization representing the inter- ests of low-income people in Canada. Currently funded by both Human Resources Development FCanada and individual contributions, a twenty-two person board made up of of people (who either live in or have lived in poverty as some point in their lives) from every province and territory in Canada governs the work of the organization. NAPO assists local and regional organizations of low–income people in Canada to comment on processes in their communities and to help these organizations influence the national debate in which NAPO has an active interest. To this end, NAPO produces reports, fact sheets and press statements and sponsors court challenges.
    [Show full text]
  • Integrating Housing, Healthcare and Employment Supports to Solve Homelessness
    Integrating Housing, Healthcare and Employment Supports to Solve Homelessness Kerry Lange, MPA candidate School of Public Administration University of Victoria March 2016 Client: Rob Turnbull, Chief Executive Officer Streetohome Foundation Supervisor: Dr. Barton Cunningham School of Public Administration, University of Victoria Second Reader: Dr. Budd L. Hall School of Public Administration, University of Victoria Chair: Dr. Rebecca Warburton School of Public Administration, University of Victoria ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to express his sincere gratitude to the following people and organizations: The Streetohome Foundation—for providing the opportunity to research best practices in integrated service delivery to homeless people. Dr. Rob Turnbull, CEO—for the opportunity to write this research and for his feedback and encouragement. Writing this research has been an enlightening and eye-opening journey—one I am glad to have made. Dr. Kimberley Speers—for recommending Streetohome Foundation as a client and for her encouragement to move forward with my project. Dr. Barton Cunningham—for being a calm and encouraging supervisor, who kept in touch even when I forgot and did not flinch when presented with an issue. My wife, Cornelia—for unselfishly giving me the days, evenings, weekends, and holidays to lock myself away to complete this research. Although locked away, I could always feel your support. When I came out of my “cave,” you were always there. I could not have worked day-to-day and also completed this research without your endless patience, understanding, and support. Thank you to everyone who contributed. You were generous with your time. I enjoyed listening to everyone and learning.
    [Show full text]