2.3 Engaging with Newcomer Youth Experiencing Homelessness

There is a growing body of literature on homelessness in Canada, with research addressing such areas as youth at risk of homelessness, homelessness among adults and families, and homelessness among immigrants and refugees. Low-income groups are most likely to experience housing issues and homelessness, with visible minorities, recent immigrants, and single parents disproportionately represented (Polanyi et al., 2016). The national At Home / Chez Soi study of the Housing First model found that immigrants and refugee adults are especially vulnerable to becoming homeless as a result of the discrimination they experience when seeking employment and housing, and also tend to experience housing instability in the form of residential crowding, sometimes referred to as hidden homelessness (Zerger et al., 2014). Current literature has explored the impacts of immigration and settlement on adults and families, but to a lesser extent on the youth population (Preston et al., 2011; Raising the Roof Foundation, 2009). Limited research in Canada has focused specifically on newcomer youth, their pathways to Canada, pathways to homelessness, the barriers these youth face, and the solutions they see as most important to achieving success.

Editor(s): 
Sean Kidd, Natasha Slesnick, Tyler Frederick, Jeff Karabanow, Stephen Gaetz
Location: 
Canada
Publication Date: 
2018
Publisher(s): 
Canadian Observatory on Homelessness Press