Last week at the Hub, Results From Toronto's "street census": The 2013 Street Needs Assessment ran some of the more shocking figures from the Toronto 2013 Street Needs Assessment Report. One of the interesting figures was a twofold increase of people aged 61 and over in the Toronto homeless population from 2009 to 2013.
On a similar note, Natalie Waldbrook's Homelessness, Stable Housing, and Opportunities for Healthy Aging: Exploring The Relationships dissertation tackles the relationship between growing older and leading a healthy lifestyle in the context of housing insecurity. For a country with an aging population her research touches on a few spots that tend to be overlooked in homelessness research.
Justice for Children and Youth (JFCY) identified gaps in the child welfare law in Ontario, where 16 and 17 year olds currently don't have to access to child welfare services and are therefore left with few choices when it comes with their safety and security once they age out of care. JFCY brought the issue to Queen's Park in the form of Bill 88 to change the existing laws. This bill unanimously passed Second Reading and is on way to become law cutting kids on a street a much needed break.
In case you missed it, the Wellesley Institute put out a report on how the Ontario government can improve health in the province by reducing poverty. Steven Barnes also looked at this report in the context of the government's five year Poverty Reduction Strategy in his Poverty is a Health Issue: What to look for in the next Poverty Reduction Strategy blog post.
On the research end of things, a new study came out that was conducted on the housing needs of women leaving situations where they've experienced intimate partner violence. This study works to suggest policy alternatives to address the specific housing needs of abused women in the context of the 2008 US housing crisis and recession.
For anyone working in the homeless sector looking to conduct a program evaluation for their organization, we have an online course to help you through the ins and outs of the process. However, the deadline for registration is today! You still have time to register and learn more here: http://www.homelessevaluation.ca/