Vineeth.Sekharan's blog

Children living in poverty have few of the resources and supports that many of us take for granted. Research has regularly demonstrated that youth living in poverty tend to have poorer educational outcomes than their wealthier counterparts. Why might this be? The below infographic, published by TVO as part of their Why Poverty? series, talks about the relationship between education and poverty in Canada.

Young people who are homeless have few of the securities that those with shelter take for granted. Youth who are homeless face an increased risk of being victims of violence, especially sexual violence. The relationship between sexual violence and homelessness is complicated: sexual violence is both a contributor to homelessness and a factor resulting from homelessness.

In recent years, there has been a growing trend to criminalize homelessness in both Canada and the United States. The below infographic, created by Al-Jazeera news, looks at some facts and figures related to the criminalization of homelessness in the United States.

Most programs focused on homelessness target the issue from the street level, focusing on improving services and increasing accessibility to supports for existing homeless populations. Often overlooked is the huge impact that prevention-based approaches can have. Such an approach is more likely to have success treating the causes, rather than the symptoms, of homelessness.

Today is Bell’s Let’s Talk day. Bell’s campaign focuses on creating awareness, and engaging Canadians in public conversations about mental health issues. There continues to be a great deal of stigma surrounding mental illness.

Youth represent the fastest growing segment of Canada's homeless population, and a large proportion of these homeless youth are newcomers. Data from a recent survey conducted with homeless youth in Toronto shows that 22.3% of those surveyed had been born outside of Canada.

Canada's LGBTQ youth experience a great deal of exclusion and discrimination which can lead a young person to homelessness, addictions and even suicide. The infographic below, created by the Government of Alberta, looks into the adversity the LGBTQ community experiences.

The health and well-being of people is strongly related to the housing conditions that they live in. The below infographic, created by Seattle University’s Project on Family Homelessness, illustrates the link between poor housing conditions and it’s affect on children’s health.

Youth represent one of the most vulnerable subpopulations living in homelessness. Many youth living in homelessness are fleeing situations of abuse, discrimination and violence. Service agencies that offer assistance in the form of shelters, counselling, and legal services are of the utmost importance to help these individuals move from crisis to newfound security.

While there has been progress in the women’s movement, there remains a devastating gap between how men and women are treated. Women and young girls continue to be subjected to a devastatingly high amounts of violence. The movement for women's rights is international in its scope. This year, United Nations Secretary-General’s Campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women invites individuals to “Orange” their neighbourhood.