Prevention cuts youth homelessness in half and is cheaper than emergency shelter – so why isn’t Canada scaling programs?

By Mardi Daley, Amanda Maki and Angelina Trask

Imagine arriving at your grandfather’s doorstep and saying, “I’m not safe. I have nowhere to sleep.”

As youth who have experienced homelessness and are now working in Canada’s homeless sector, we know that situations like this are preventable.

Every night in this country, 6,000 to 7,000 youth have no safe place to sleep, according to the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH). Roughly 40 per cent are under 16 years old. And according to the federal government’s Point in Time Count, half of all adults experiencing homelessness had their first episode before the age of 25.

Today, the rising cost of living is putting more pressure on family relationships, and more young people are being pushed into homelessness. The Point in Time Count also reported that financial issues were the second most commonly cited reason for youth becoming homeless after family conflict and abuse.

Many communities simply replicate adult homelessness programs for youth. But copying the adult model doesn’t work: to prevent homelessness, youth need different outreach strategies, different housing models, and different supports to stay safe and stable.

Homelessness is a symptom, not the cause. Most youth become homeless because of broken relationships with their families. In many cases, these family issues could have been resolved before a crisis occurred. 

Programs that help families communicate and reduce conflict-related displacement were found to reduce youth leaving home by up to 50 per cent, reduce shelter use by 65 per cent, and cost just $36/day compared to emergency support, which can cost $134-$354/day, according to the COH.

Schools can also be powerful early‑warning systems. In British Columbia and Newfoundland, educators using early-identification tools have identified approximately 39 per cent of students at risk of homelessness, according to the Homeless Hub. 

In addition to identifying youth who are at risk as soon as possible, we need a “no wrong door” approach so young people can access help or resources from schools, community centres, or social services agencies, rather than being turned away or bounced between agencies.

There is also a housing crisis for youth who have experienced homelessness. Youth who are forced to leave their family or foster homes often wait months to get a roof over their heads.

What youth need is immediate access to safe and stable housing alongside support for mental health and other challenges. Youth who have been homeless also need rent subsidies because they have no credit history or access to co-signers who will guarantee their rent. 

Housing First for Youth programs cost $55/day, compared with $100/day for youth in emergency shelters, and achieve 96 per cent housing stability after two years.

Prevention must also honour culture. Indigenous-led approaches ensure solutions are developed and led by the communities they serve. And, across the country, youth need a sense of belonging and community. Today, too many youth don’t know where to go, who they can rely on, or how to access resources. We need to help them rebuild safe connections with adults in schools, community centres and neighbourhoods.

We recognize that there are many positive responses to youth homelessness underway.

Leaders in this country have already made a commitment to protect vulnerable youth. Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, along with provincial and territorial child welfare and family laws, guarantee rights to provision, protection, and participation for individuals under 18.

A Way Home, a national coalition, is helping to prevent and end youth homelessness by collaborating with youth-serving organizations across the country. The Home Depot Canada Foundation has pledged $125M in support by 2030 to help advance national efforts to expand stable housing for youth, provide quality wraparound community support, and increase youth employment-readiness.

On May 26, we attended Opening Doors for Youth, a day of advocacy in Ottawa with The Home Depot Canada and A Way Home Canada. We connected with federal leaders, community organizations, and other youth from across Canada.

Having a seat at the table to share our experiences and insights on what is needed to create lasting change was empowering and ignited a sense of hope among other Canadian youth that they will receive the support they need, not only to avoid homelessness, but also to thrive.

We encourage Canadian corporations, foundations, and individuals to contribute to national or local organizations that help end and prevent homelessness. Without more public and private sector support, even more youth will become homeless, and governments will continue to spend more responding to the crisis than it would cost to prevent it.

The issues youth face are complex and feel insurmountable, but the good news is that solutions that work exist. When we invest in prevention, we give young people the stability, support, and opportunities they need to thrive. 

The country needs to act before another young person shows up on someone’s doorstep, asking for a safe place to sleep.