New report sets out roadmap for prevention of youth homelessness in Canada

It is time for a new approach to youth homelessness – one that is proactive, collaborative, and rights-based, a new report from the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and A Way Home Canada concludes.

The Roadmap for the Prevention of Youth Homelessness, published today, provides a clear definition of youth homelessness prevention, offers a framework and common language for preventative policy and practice, and showcases practical examples of prevention-based solutions from around the world.

Across the country, in consultations and collected data, it is evident that it is taking too long to respond to youth homelessness. The report shows that 40 per cent of young people who were homeless had their first experience of leaving home before they were 16 years old. It also shows that 50 per cent of homeless adults had their first experience of homelessness before the age of 25. Taken together, the figures clearly show young people are not able to “bootstrap” themselves out of homelessness.