Visit our Research Matters blog for weekly posts from the homelessness sector here
The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is the largest national research institute devoted to homelessness in Canada. The COH is the curator of the Homeless Hub.
Canadian Observatory on HomelessnessThe Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is the largest national research institute devoted to homelessness in Canada. The COH is the curator of the Homeless Hub.
We received this question via Shawna E. from via our latest website survey.
For some now, we’ve known that our early experiences – from prenatal to 8 years of age – have huge impacts on the rest of our lives. As Fox, Levitt and Nelson (2010) wrote:
In our latest website survey, Amanda A. asked: “How much do front-line service providers know about trauma-informed care? Is trauma-informed care taken into consideration when developing policies, especially for youth?”
Trauma plays a significant role in both the pathways to homelessness and the experience of homelessness itself, so the importance of trauma-informed care (TIC) can’t be overstated. But before I go deeper in answering this question, let’s explore what TIC is in the first place.
Megan H. asked us about the implications of Toronto’s upcoming fare system changes on people experiencing homelessness.
In response to our latest website survey, Christopher .M. asked: “What special considerations must be given to those who are homeless and who have had contact with the criminal justice system?”
This question came from Gayathri .N. via our latest website survey.
As usual, we don’t have a single set of statistics that paints the whole picture of racialized homelessness in Canada, but we do have a variety of research that points to the overrepresentation of racialized people in the homeless population.
In our latest website survey, we received the following question from Helen B.: “We know our initiative is effective at prevention and early intervention of homelessness but our non-profit cannot afford to do research to prove it, how can you help?” This is tough to answer without knowing a bit about the initiative we’re discussing, but I’ll do my best!
In our latest website survey, Terri G. asked us the following: “Have there been studies done linking mental health to addictions to homelessness as a trifecta of consequences (concurrent, rather than singular)?”
This question came from Matias C.L. via our latest website survey.
Queer and trans youth – who I will refer to as LGBTQ2 youth – are overrepresented among people experiencing homelessness.
This question came from Ashley L. via our latest website survey.
According to our latest report, of the over 235,000 Canadians who experience homelessness in a year, about 5000 people are unsheltered (living on the streets). It is reasonable to wonder, what with so many services available, why some unsheltered people would “choose” to remain so.
This question came from Jackie via our latest website survey.
While most homelessness is a one-time event caused by a variety of complex and interrelated factors, many studies have found that housing and other “adverse events” play a critical role in child development and have highlighted family homelessness as a very serious issue.