This research report is a summary of the Coming Up Together (CUT) conference. 

Background

Youth homelessness in Canada is an ongoing crisis, with 35,000 to 40,000 youth experiencing homelessness across the country in any given year. The siloing of different sectors and services has led to a lack of coordinated responses to this complex issue.

In order to stimulate inter-sectoral discussion and planning strategies to prevent and end youth homelessness in Canada, the CUT Conference, convened by Dr. Jacqueline Kennelly with the help of a multi-sector steering committee and youth stream planning team made up of youth with lived experience of homelessness, brought together 200 stakeholders in the field of youth homelessness from the policy, service provision, and academic sectors across Canada and internationally.

Conference objectives were to facilitate knowledge exchange between the sectors; establish regional, provincial, national and international linkages; enhance sector capacity; and move policy agendas forward.