Advocates are calling for a new strategy to address youth homelessness in Toronto as city leaders met Monday to discuss the growing number of young people living on the streets.
More than 100 young people were at the summit along with representatives from more than 50 stakeholders including the Toronto District and Toronto Catholic District School Board.
“Today’s summit brings together a number of key groups who are on the frontlines of dealing with youth homelessness in the city. They say it is in itself uniquely distinct from what adults experience and because of that, it needs its own, separate strategy,” Negha Kanagavarathan, the housing lead for Toronto Youth Cabinet. “What we’re hearing from youth is pretty clear. The system is not built for them.”
Advocates say it’s a perfect storm of circumstances that force youth into homelessness. Post-pandemic inflation and soaring rent is challenge for most in the city, but particularly for young people.
“Often it’s because they’re in the early stages of their careers, earning lower wages, juggling student debt and education costs and with fewer savings to fall back on,” explained Mark Aston, the CEO of Covenant House Toronto.
Add to that experiences of poverty and discrimination and it can be a difficult situation to rise out of, especially when the resources that are currently available are inadequate, they say. Leaders are now calling for a dedicated strategy informed by the youth who have experienced it.
“I think if you can do that and you can do it well, young people will not become chronically homeless and they won’t move into the adult system. Right now, we’ve got 30 to 40 per cent of those in the adult system tracing their homelessness journey back to being a young person,” Aston added.
Some of the proposals put forward include implementing a new shelter model and improving access to mental health supports.
“When you’re experiencing homeless as a young person, it’s usually because of some fallout with your family. A lot of times there’s childhood trauma and that comes with PTSD, depression and anxiety … when these things are addressed early in life, it really makes a difference in the long run,” said Joy Mohamed, a youth with lived experience.
The most recent report from the City of Toronto found that roughly 1,500 young people between 16 and 24 years old are experiencing homelessness on any given night.
Youth currently make up about 10 per cent of the city’s shelter population, with many more going unaccounted for.
City Councillor and Toronto Board of Health Chair, Chris Moise, also noted the complexity of who’s being impacted.
“A lot of people that are in shelters are people from 2SLGBTQ+ community, Black and Indigenous and people of colour … take a look at that and support them where they are at,” said Moise.
Moise says there may be recommendations for the city to consider that come out of this summit.