This is a report of a research study funded by CIHR. The study was in response to a needs assessment of youth on the streets conducted by AIDS Calgary in 1999. There was research and planning team involving many community-based groups as well as City of Calgary staff. The purpose of the Calgary Youth, Health and the Street study was to describe the spectrum of street-involved youth in Calgary and explore variations among these groups in terms of HIV and health risks, coping mechanisms and service needs. The focus was not really on homelessness of youth, although the youth living on the streets are homeless. The collaborative community-based research process was used to provide information for the development and enhancement of existing youth services in Calgary. From 355 surveys completed by street-involved youth as well as an overview of the results from 40 qualitative interviews, the following are some of the ‘on the street’ youth results: 64% of respondents living on the street were over the age of 19 and of these 71% were male; of respondents, 56% were on the streets by choice and for various reasons; 91% spent most of their time in downtown Calgary; 83% had been victimized; 64% had goals of getting off the street in one year through finding employment, reuniting with family or other plan; most of these youth had not experienced family addictions or abuse; many had physical conditions; when stressed these youth had other activities as music or art; 99% had used a variety of substances; majority were sexually active and 33% said they never used condoms; 78% had been charged with a crime and spent time in jail; 59% had been in contact with child welfare; most less inclined to access health services but 10% used other services; and youth described various forms of living accommodations from shelters to outdoors to couch surfing. These results provide a snapshot of the lives of street youth within the Calgary community, and point to areas where there are differences among youth with different levels of street involvement. The street youth who participated in the study openly shared their experiences and the hope is that these data will contribute to a better understanding of the complexity of their lives, their strengths and challenges, and ways in which services could serve them better. Ongoing community discussion, research and planning are vital in order to better meet the needs of street-involved youth in Calgary.

Summary Credit:
Homelessness-Related Research Capacities in Alberta: A Comprehensive Environmental Scan, prepared by Dr. Katharina Kovacs Burns, MSc, MHSA, PhD and Dr. Solina Richter, PhD, RN for The Alberta Homelessness Research Consortium (2010)