Canadian Observatory on Homelessness Archives | Faculty of Education /edu/category/canadian-observatory-on-homelessness/ Reinventing education for a diverse, complex world. Wed, 17 Dec 2025 19:43:23 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2020/07/favicon.png Canadian Observatory on Homelessness Archives | Faculty of Education /edu/category/canadian-observatory-on-homelessness/ 32 32 From crisis to prevention: 快播视频 leads shift in approach to homelessness /edu/2025/03/31/from-crisis-to-prevention-york-u-leads-shift-in-approach-to-homelessness/ Mon, 31 Mar 2025 13:33:42 +0000 /edu/?p=42892 For more than a decade, Professor Stephen Gaetz and the York-based Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH), which he directs, have pushed to create a shift in how to approach modern homelessness. They鈥檝e succeeded.

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Article by Alex Huls (Yfile)

Man extending his hand and a woman placing her hand in his

For more than a decade, Professor Stephen Gaetz and the York-based Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH), which he directs, have pushed to create a shift in how to approach modern homelessness. They鈥檝e succeeded.

When homelessness arose as a broader societal concern in the 1990s (often referred to as "modern" homelessness), a common game plan emerged. Emergency shelters, soup kitchens, day programs and more became prevalent measures in order to address the situation.

Stephen Gaetz
Stephen Gaetz

What those responses had in common was that they were reactive, prioritizing the provision of immediate crisis support to those who were already experiencing homelessness. That was what many understood was needed, but it wasn鈥檛 a response that actually solved homelessness. Gaetz likens it to a broken water pipe flooding a basement. 鈥淔irst, you get your hands and you're scooping up water. Then you go get a bucket. Later you go get a gas pump from Canadian Tire,鈥 he says. 鈥淏ut at some point you maybe want to fix the pipe.鈥

In other words, it became clear that prevention 鈥 not just reaction 鈥 was needed. There was a problem, however. 鈥淭here was no real interest in prevention on the part of either government or service providers,鈥 says Gaetz, a professor at York's Faculty of Education. There was lack of awareness, skepticism around effectiveness due to perceived lack of evidence and little understanding of who becomes unhoused and when.

To this day, the bulk of the investment in responding to homelessness goes to emergency response, yet the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to grow.

For more than 15 years, Gaetz and the COH at York have been among those driving that change.

Through extensive partnerships they built up prevention awareness using public campaigns. They have also implemented a that offers an extensive evidence base to show it can work. The COH began aggregating, managing and mobilizing resources with the Homeless Hub, a knowledge-sharing platform that disseminates research, best practices and tools for policymakers, service providers and the public.

Along the way, the important question of how exactly to prevent homelessness remained front of mind. Among key findings that helped point towards an answer was the significance of youth homelessness.

Gaetz notes that even today, many picture a homeless person to be an older, gray-bearded man pushing a shopping cart down the street. However, when Government Canda conducted a homeless population survey in the mid-2010s, COH asked them to include a question about how old individuals were when they had their first experience being unhoused. The results were illuminating. 鈥淥f all people who are homeless, regardless of age, 50 per cent identified that they had their first experience before they were 25,鈥 says Gaetz.

That provided an epiphanic way forward: 鈥淵oung adulthood is a big driver of chronic homelessness. If we change to a prevention focus on youth, not only will we have better outcomes for young people. We would be attacking chronic homelessness right at the start. We'd be fixing that pipe,鈥 he says.

Doing so, however, would require a dramatic conceptual shift 鈥 not just away from relying on reactive emergency services and supports, but towards a focus on preventive intervention and support for homeless youth.

In 2017, COH made a major leap forward. Prevention Framework by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness introduced a report co-authored by Gaetz and titled "" The framework provided a refined approach to preventing homelessness by addressing structural, systemic and individual factors before homelessness occurs.

In the same year, Making the Shift (MtS) was established as a partnership between the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH) and A Way Home Canada. It was designed as a Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab to develop and test prevention-focused solutions. The latter saw further expansion in 2019 when it became a federally funded Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) initiative, expanding its research and pilot programs across Canada. The initiative focuses on family and natural supports, early intervention, housing-first for youth and policy innovation.

鈥淲e're the only research institute in the world that focuses on the prevention of youth homelessness,鈥 he says.

Hundreds of presentations, demonstration projects and funded initiatives later, there is now a mass of evidence for the efficacy of prevention, but also knowledge around how to implement it. It led to a recent "watershed moment" when Making the Shift and its partners organized the International Conference on the Prevention of Youth Homelessness this past February in Toronto.

The event brought together researchers, policymakers, service providers and advocates to explore evidence-based solutions for preventing youth homelessness. Over three days, attendees engaged in plenary sessions, workshops, interactive panels and research discussions focused on innovative policies and practical strategies. With over 100 presentations from global experts, the conference fostered cross-sector collaboration and highlighted cutting-edge research that informed effective prevention efforts.

Most notably, more than 600 participants from all over the globe attended, illuminating just how far things have come from a time where Gaetz felt nobody was interested in discussing prevention.

鈥淭he biggest thing was the positive energy in the room 鈥 after spending the last 10 or 15 years trying to get people to care about the prevention of youth homelessness, here we are in a convention centre in February in Toronto with over 600 people there because they get it.鈥

While Making the Shift has, indeed, helped shift perception around prevention, the job isn鈥檛 done yet, says Gaetz. 鈥淭he work is going to go on. It's going to shift more to knowledge mobilization and, in a lot of ways, we still need more research to understand how to do things better,鈥 he says.

Still, he is amazed at how much has changed. 鈥淲e鈥檙e on that road. There is readiness," he says. "We鈥檙e hearing it from the government. We鈥檙e hearing it from service providers. That was unthinkable 10 years ago.

"We have truly come a long way."

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In the media - Experts from around the globe are gathering in Toronto for聽Canada鈥檚 first national conference on preventing youth homelessness /edu/2025/02/26/in-the-media-experts-from-around-the-globe-are-gathering-in-toronto-for-canadas-first-national-conference-on-preventing-youth-homelessness/ Wed, 26 Feb 2025 15:34:13 +0000 /edu/?p=42665 Experts from around the globe are gathering in Toronto for Canada鈥檚 first national conference on preventing youth homelessness to highlight real-life research and programs that are making a difference. Stephen Gaetz, a professor at 快播视频 and president of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, who is one of the conference chairs, talks about the importance […]

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Prevention of Youth Homelessness International Conference logo

Experts from around the globe are gathering in Toronto for Canada鈥檚 first national conference on preventing youth homelessness to highlight real-life research and programs that are making a difference. Stephen Gaetz, a professor at 快播视频 and president of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, who is one of the conference chairs, talks about the importance of the conference.
on CBC News radio.

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Breaking the cycle: A researcher鈥檚 mission to prevent homelessness in Canada /edu/2024/03/20/breaking-the-cycle-a-researchers-mission-to-prevent-homelessness-in-canada/ Wed, 20 Mar 2024 13:37:33 +0000 /edu/?p=39425 SSHRC Q-and-A interview with professor Stephen Gaetz about the state of homelessness in Canada, his SSHRC-funded research projects, and the role of prevention in finding a solution to homelessness in Canada.

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homeless man sitting on a busy street
Photo credit: Dylan Ostetto

Article reposted from the

is a professor in the Faculty of Education at 快播视频. He is the president of the , the largest national research institute devoted to homelessness in Canada, and the , a web-based research library and information centre for mobilizing knowledge on homelessness. A member of the , Gaetz has spent decades bringing together researchers, grassroots organizations and policy makers nationally and internationally to contribute to the knowledge base around homelessness prevention. We spoke to Gaetz about the state of homelessness in Canada, his , and the role of prevention in finding a solution to homelessness in Canada.

Upside down milk crate with an empty pop can beside it on a Toronto Street
Toronto Street
Photo credit: Shane Fester

What is the homelessness situation in Canada?

GAETZ: It鈥檚 getting worse. The latest Government of Canada data from 2022 shows a 20 percent increase in homelessness across the country. People are living on streets, in parks, in shelters, in tents and on couches throughout this country. Indigenous Peoples make up about a third of all people who are homeless in Canada. Black and 2SLGBTQIA+ youth are overrepresented as well in homeless shelters. We need to look at our policies around homelessness and prevention and ask ourselves: Are the policies tailored to reflect these vulnerable populations?

Why have we seen such a rise in homelessness across the country?

GAETZ: We created the problem. In the 1980鈥檚 the federal government was paying to build up to 25,000 units of social housing and co-ops every year. They stopped doing that, in hopes the private sector would step in and fill the void, but that 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 happen. We鈥檝e lost 30 years of investment and that鈥檚 a lot of housing that 诲颈诲苍鈥檛 get built. Add to that, the private sector investment in rental housing has tanked as construction companies have decided to focus on building big homes and luxury condominiums. Canada is now in a critical crisis around, not just affordable, but deeply affordable housing. Rents are at an all-time high. At the same time, the population of Canada has grown by 30 percent, to [as of October 1, 2023, representing the highest population growth rate since 1957], we have less stable employment with fewer benefits, we鈥檝e seen massive job losses through the pandemic, and are left now with more low-paying precarious jobs. All of those things have led to this emergence of 鈥榤odern mass homelessness鈥.

What makes your work with the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Homeless Hub stand out in Canada and internationally?

GAETZ: Our mission with the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Homeless Hub is prevention. We鈥檝e developed to start a nationwide conversation around prevention. By developing a strong knowledge base, we can help inform communities and governments to shape policy around the prevention of homelessness.

What do you mean by prevention of homelessness?

GAETZ: We see prevention as a human rights issue. Our definition adapts the public health model of prevention, including Primary Prevention, meaning stopping people from becoming homeless in the first place; Secondary Prevention鈥 ensuring that those who do become homeless don鈥檛 transition to long-term or chronic homelessness, and Tertiary Prevention, which means supporting people who have exited this situation to not return to homelessness. In practical terms, it means looking at all the things, from expanding the affordable housing supply, to reducing tenant evictions, to strengthening families, providing better supports for physical and mental health, and school-based early intervention to help youth avoid becoming homelessness. We need to address and stop homelessness before it starts.

How do we make prevention the basis for homelessness policies in Canada?

GAETZ: We need municipal, provincial and federal governments and all government departments to come together and take one unified approach to preventing homelessness. We can鈥檛 just rely on the department responsible for housing or community services to have policies around homelessness. We need to look at issues around child protection as a gateway to homelessness. What happens when a person is discharged from prison or the hospital? Do they have a place to go? Through our , we know the key ages when people enter homelessness are between 12 and 20 years old. If we were to focus on the prevention of youth homelessness it would have a huge impact on chronic homelessness across the country.

What impact has your research had in Canada?

GAETZ: My goal is to make research matter to all those involved, including policy makers. Our research teams who are part of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and the Homeless Hub are now leaders in the idea of prevention. We鈥檝e developed the that helps policy makers guide support for homelessness prevention. Thanks to funding through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) we鈥檝e created , which supports research projects that focus on the prevention of youth homelessness. Because of our research, governments and our partners are now understanding the role prevention plays in addressing homelessness. That is huge. We have led the shift from crisis response to prevention and now have outcomes that show early interventions work to reduce homelessness, like our intervention model that has proved if we can find youth a safe place to live before addressing any other issues in their life, they will have a much higher chance of reaching their goals and exiting homelessness for good.

man sitting on a bench sleeping in a bus shelter in Toronto
Bus shelter in Toronto
Photo: Dylan Ostetto

Do you have the ear of governments?

GAETZ: Yes, but it will take time before the listening turns to action.

What can Canada learn from other countries?

GAETZ: From Australia, we can learn that if you want to prevent youth homelessness then you have to work in collaboration with schools. Unlike Canada, the Scandinavian countries continued to build social housing so they have a robust supply which directly relates to lower incidents of homelessness in those countries. One of my favourite examples is in Wales where they have developed that requires local authorities to intervene at the first sign of someone at risk of homelessness. Canada invented the Housing First for Youth intervention model but, ironically, it鈥檚 taking off in Europe more than it is here.

If you could enact one piece of legislation or policy in Canada right now, what would it be?

GAETZ: I would make prevention of homelessness the core of every policy and strategy at all levels of government. A by McGill economist Eric Latimer determined it costs on average $59,000 a year to keep someone in a state of homelessness in Canada. So, we ask, what can you do with $59,000? You could certainly think about renting a place and paying for much needed health and social supports. Instead, as a country we think, 鈥榠t鈥檚 too bad, it鈥檚 a crisis and emergency shelters are the best we can do鈥. The reality is that鈥檚 a super expensive way to deal with a problem that does not produce great outcomes. We need to get creative, be bold, be proactive, and invest in prevention and helping people exit homelessness in a sustainable way.

What role does advocacy play in research?

GAETZ: Research is rarely the thing that will be the big motivator of political change and investment, but we need to use knowledge mobilization to engage governments and community partners to influence policy on a larger scale and advocate for change. Our Homeless Hub is the largest research library on homelessness in the world. If we can present evidence-based knowledge in clear language with practical applications, we believe we can drive solutions to homelessness in Canada and abroad.

Why do you do what you do?

GAETZ: I think it鈥檚 a travesty that we allow homelessness to continue and to grow in a country like Canada. It鈥檚 a travesty that we make people wait until they are homeless before we can help them. It鈥檚 like people walking into a hospital and saying to them, 鈥榃e鈥檙e not going to help you, come back in a couple of years when you鈥檙e really sick, and then we鈥檒l help you.鈥 We know from research that prolonged exposure to homelessness damages lives. We can do better. We must do better before we lose more Canadians to this crisis.

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Project to create transitional housing for homeless Black youth /edu/2023/12/21/project-to-create-transitional-housing-for-homeless-black-youth/ Thu, 21 Dec 2023 15:35:44 +0000 /edu/?p=38542 The upcoming Black Youth Housing Project, associated with the Homeless Hub at 快播视频鈥檚 Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, will explore what housing models best support Black youth who are experiencing homelessness in York region.

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2 Black youth (female on the left, male on the right)

The upcoming Black Youth Housing Project, associated with the Homeless Hub at 快播视频鈥檚 Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, will explore what housing models best support Black youth who are experiencing homelessness in York region.


The project is led by 360掳kids, a non-profit organization that works to prevent homelessness by helping youth at risk, or in crisis, transition to a state of safety and stability. Among those working on the project are Nathan Okonta, a 快播视频 alum and a research associate at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, as well as Promise Busulwa, a communications co-ordinator at the observatory.

While research on homelessness in Black communities is limited, the available data shows that Black youth are overrepresented in populations experiencing homelessness. The Black Youth Housing Project looks to address, through research and action, a means to deliver a transitional housing model that could transform the lives of Black youth. It aims to provide five key benefits for communities working to address this particular crisis:

  1. understanding the needs and challenges of youth who are currently experiencing or have previously experienced homelessness;
  2. identifying pathways or conditions associated with homelessness;
  3. informing the development of a youth housing model with cultural and age-appropriate services;
  4. informing the development of preventative measures to support youth at risk of homelessness; and
  5. promoting high-quality research to fill in gaps in the current literature around Black youth homelessness in Canada. 

Its goals are to better understand how to provide culturally relevant services to Black youth experiencing homelessness. It also seeks to inform the development of a long-term transitional home, for which 360掳kids has already secured a site, expected to be operational in 2024. 

The upcoming Black Youth Housing Project, associated with the Homeless Hub at 快播视频鈥檚 Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, will explore what housing models best support Black youth who are experiencing homelessness in York region.

The project is led by 360掳kids, a non-profit organization that works to prevent homelessness by helping youth at risk, or in crisis, transition to a state of safety and stability. Among those working on the project are Nathan Okonta, a 快播视频 alum and a research associate at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, as well as Promise Busulwa, a communications co-ordinator at the observatory.

While research on homelessness in Black communities is limited, the available data shows that Black youth are overrepresented in populations experiencing homelessness. The Black Youth Housing Project looks to address, through research and action, a means to deliver a transitional housing model that could transform the lives of Black youth. It aims to provide five key benefits for communities working to address this particular crisis:

  1. understanding the needs and challenges of youth who are currently experiencing or have previously experienced homelessness;
  2. identifying pathways or conditions associated with homelessness;
  3. informing the development of a youth housing model with cultural and age-appropriate services;
  4. informing the development of preventative measures to support youth at risk of homelessness; and
  5. promoting high-quality research to fill in gaps in the current literature around Black youth homelessness in Canada. 

Its goals are to better understand how to provide culturally relevant services to Black youth experiencing homelessness. It also seeks to inform the development of a long-term transitional home, for which 360掳kids has already secured a site, expected to be operational in 2024. 

The project is currently recruiting African, Caribbean and/or Black youth aged 16 to 34 who have experienced homelessness or housing insecurity in the Greater Toronto Area within the past five years. Participants will be invited to an online or in-person interview or focus group. All participants will be compensated for their time, and participation in research is entirely voluntary.聽Those interested can reach out to the project鈥檚 principal investigator, Neil Price, at聽.

Article published in the December 20, 2023 issue of

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In the media - Education professor adds insights to study on rising homeless seeking refuge in Ontario ERs /edu/2023/11/29/in-the-media-education-professor-adds-insights-to-study-on-rising-homeless-seeking-refuge-in-ontario-ers/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 19:03:09 +0000 /edu/?p=38121 Non-urgent ER visits among homeless people during winter rose by 24% across province since 2018 When Dr. Carolyn Snider arrives for her early morning emergency room shifts, she regularly sees between five and 10 people in the waiting area who don't need medical attention 鈥 just a safe place to stay warm. There's been a […]

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Non-urgent ER visits among homeless people during winter rose by 24% across province since 2018
A green tent sits under the highway
Dr. Carolyn Snider, chief of the emergency department at St. Michael's Hospital in downtown Toronto, says there's been a significant increase in the number of homeless people taking refuge in emergency departments over the last few winters. (Michael Wilson/CBC)

When Dr. Carolyn Snider arrives for her early morning emergency room shifts, she regularly sees between five and 10 people in the waiting area who don't need medical attention 鈥 just a safe place to stay warm.

There's been a significant increase in the number of homeless people taking refuge in downtown Toronto emergency departments over the last few winters, Snider said. She and colleagues did some research to see if they could quantify what they were seeing.

The resulting study, published on a pre-print website Tuesday, examined data that had been collected from hospitals across Ontario, documenting ER visits from the winter of 2018-19 through to last winter, ending March 31, 2023.

It found that non-urgent emergency department visits among people who are homeless increased by 24 per cent across the province over those five winters.

'We should prioritize getting people housed': expert

The study results don't surprise Stephen Gaetz, head of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness based at 快播视频.

Gaetz was not involved in the study but said "the results are to be trusted."

"One of the things we need to come to terms with in our response to homelessness is that if we do not provide people with access to adequate housing that is safe, affordable and appropriate, as well as necessary supports if they have health and or mental health challenges, then we shouldn't be surprised that people experiencing homelessness are going to make decisions that we may not like," Gaetz said in an email to The Canadian Press.

"If we don't like people experiencing homelessness going to emergency services at hospitals, sleeping in tents or in parks, or sleeping and keeping warm on the subway, then we should prioritize getting people housed," he said, noting that preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place is also important.

Read the full article on the CBC News' .

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In the media - Education professor weighs in on the legality of the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) Act /edu/2023/11/20/in-the-media-education-professor-weighs-in-on-the-legality-of-the-safer-communities-and-neighbourhoods-scan-act/ Mon, 20 Nov 2023 17:07:39 +0000 /edu/?p=37991 Stephen Gaetz, a 快播视频 professor and president of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness who was called as an expert witness, outlined the circumstances that can cause someone to become unhoused, including evictions.

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The hearing into the legality of the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) Act is scheduled to wrap up on Nov. 10 after three days of intense and, at times, conflicting testimony.

Outside of the courthouse in Whitehorse
Courthouse in Whitehorse

The SCAN Act empowers the Yukon government to resolve complaints of alleged illicit activity at a property by serving an eviction notice with as little as five days warning, regardless of any existing tenancy agreements.

The legal challenge is centred on the idea that the SCAN Act violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms鈥 guarantee of liberty and security. According to the lawyer bringing the challenge forward, Vincent Larochelle, the aim is to strike down the section of the act that allows landlords to terminate tenancy agreements by giving five days鈥 notice.

Stephen Gaetz, a 快播视频 professor and president of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness who was called as an expert witness, outlined the circumstances that can cause someone to become unhoused, including evictions.

Gaetz noted that the further west and north you go in Canada, the higher the prevalence of unhoused Indigenous people. He also said that a point-in-time count in Whitehorse in 2018 showed 82 per cent of unhoused people in the city were Indigenous, with 73 per cent of these people identifying as First Nations.

York Research Chair in Reparative and Racial Justice Carmela Murdocca told the court that complaints-based property ordinances such as the SCAN Act operate on the fringes of the criminal justice system and disproportionately affect 鈥渞acialized, economically marginalized and Indigenous people.鈥

Read the full article on the Yukun News' .

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Canadian Observatory on Homelessness to co-host event exploring youth transitions /edu/2023/10/05/canadian-observatory-on-homelessness-to-co-host-event-exploring-youth-transitions/ Thu, 05 Oct 2023 14:33:43 +0000 /edu/?p=37108 快播视频鈥檚 Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH) will co-host an international symposium on youth transitions from child protection services that will bring together over 100 policymakers, researchers and service providers from across Canada, the U.S. and Europe. From Oct. 12 to 13, the International Transitions from Child Protection Symposium in Richmond, B.C., will examine the challenges associated when […]

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快播视频鈥檚  (COH) will co-host an international symposium on youth transitions from child protection services that will bring together over 100 policymakers, researchers and service providers from across Canada, the U.S. and Europe.

From Oct. 12 to 13, the International Transitions from Child Protection Symposium in Richmond, B.C., will examine the challenges associated when youth 鈥渁ge out鈥 of the child protection system and lose the supports they once received.

This transition often finds youth without appropriate housing, education, employment or emotional support, making them susceptible to homelessness and other adverse outcomes. A COH study called 鈥溾  found that 57.8 per cent of youth experiencing homelessness were involved with child protection services in the past. Furthermore, Indigenous children make up a disproportionately large percentage of children in care, with those experiencing homelessness  

The symposium, co-hosted with , will further consider the subject, as well as the gaps and challenges within the systems meant to protect and support vulnerable youth. Addressing the transition experience requires a comprehensive, multi-sector approach that spans  and various sectors, including social services, health care, policing and justice.

The event鈥檚 sessions will explore how to improve transitions by bringing together decision-makers, researchers, policymakers, service providers, and people with lived experience in child protection and youth homelessness. The goal is to identify promising practices and opportunities for action, ensuring successful transitions to adulthood, preventing youth homelessness and fostering positive life outcomes.

The symposium represents a first-of-its-kind opportunity for governments, communities and researchers to learn, grow and work together to co-design what partnerships, actions and shared responsibility can look like. It is sponsored by the Home Depot Canada Foundation and Porticus.

Those interested in attending can see the full  and . Those with questions are encouraged to contact David French at dfrench@awayhome.ca.

Article originally published in the October 4, 2023 issue of聽

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Join discussion on how leaders are using evidence to end homelessness /edu/2022/11/15/join-discussion-on-how-leaders-are-using-evidence-to-end-homelessness/ Tue, 15 Nov 2022 14:56:33 +0000 /edu/?p=33609 Making the Shift聽(MtS), a youth homelessness social innovation lab co-led by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness at 快播视频, will host a virtual discussion on 鈥淯sing Data and Evidence to End Homelessness: Drawing lessons from the United Kingdom鈥 on Nov. 17 at 11 a.m.

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young homeless man sitting on a bridge

 (MtS), a youth homelessness social innovation lab co-led by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness at 快播视频, will host a virtual discussion on 鈥淯sing Data and Evidence to End Homelessness: Drawing lessons from the United Kingdom鈥 on Nov. 17 at 11 a.m.

Stephen Gaetz

The housing crisis in Canada is continuing and getting worse. This means that the homeless-prevention sector needs to review its current interventions and develop new ones. Even more of our vulnerable populations are struggling to access housing, especially our young people. Embracing data and evidence-based decision-making are key steps to finding solutions.

Join Stephen Gaetz, professor in 快播视频鈥檚 Faculty of Education and director of the  and the , and L铆gia Teixaira, co-editor of the book Using Evidence to End Homelessness, for a discussion on how leaders in government, academia and communities are developing and using evidence to end homelessness.

To create Using Evidence to End Homelessness, the Centre for Homelessness Impact brought together a range of expert voices to form a definitive evidence-led approach to bring about a sustainable end to homelessness. The contributors to this volume envisage a future in which data and rigorous evidence is created efficiently, as a routine part of government operations, and is used to drive improvements to policies and services aimed at helping people access and maintain stable, affordable housing.

Leveraging data and technology is a key strategy for Making the Shift in preventing and ending youth homelessness, with the goals of using data to impact policy and practice as well as drive the creation of innovative tools and resources to support communities.

for the event, or visit for more information.

Article originally posted in the November 10, 2022 issue of


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Announcing the Launch of the Toronto Centre of Excellence on Youth Homelessness Prevention at 快播视频 /edu/2021/06/16/announcing-the-launch-of-the-toronto-centre-of-excellence-on-youth-homelessness-prevention-at-york-university/ Wed, 16 Jun 2021 15:54:39 +0000 /edu/?p=27635 We are pleased to announce that the聽UN Economic Commission for Europe聽has established the聽Toronto Centre of Excellence (TCE) on Youth Homelessness Prevention at 快播视频. More than three years in the making, we couldn鈥檛 be more honoured to represent Canada across the UNECE鈥檚 Member States. Hosted by 快播视频 and co-led by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, A […]

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Image of the UN Geneva Charter Centre of Excellence logo

We are pleased to announce that the聽聽has established the聽Toronto Centre of Excellence (TCE) on Youth Homelessness Prevention at 快播视频. More than three years in the making, we couldn鈥檛 be more honoured to represent Canada across the UNECE鈥檚 Member States.

Hosted by 快播视频 and co-led by the ,  and our , the TCE presents an important opportunity to work internationally to contribute to the transformation of how we respond to and prevent youth homelessness.

The TCE is part of a broader network of Centres of Excellence under the coordination of the UNECE with a mandate to engage in the exchange of research knowledge, experience and best practices to support the implementation of the . Currently, there are Charter Centres in Estonia, Scotland, Albania, and Norway, with additional Charter Centres launching in Switzerland, Italy, and Spain.

Through engaged international research, the TCE provides opportunities to assess the state of youth homelessness and prevention in the UNECE鈥檚 56 member states. It will also endeavour to get youth homelessness and homelessness prevention on government policy agendas, catalyzing change and improved well-being and housing outcomes for youth and their families. The TCE allows us to leverage the training resources we鈥檝e been developing in Canada on prevention and sustained exits for adaptation in other jurisdictions. The TCE then becomes an international megaphone for the important work we鈥檝e been leading through our Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab, including our Demonstration Projects on models of prevention and Housing First for Youth.

The importance of international engagement cannot be stressed enough. For both of us, the new ways of thinking about and responding to homelessness that we鈥檝e seen in different countries have led to meaningful and paradigm-shifting understandings of what to do, when and why. Learning about the Geelong project and Youth Reconnect in Australia nearly ten years ago led us to reconsider the role of prevention. While prevention has NOT been a priority in North America (though that is changing in Canada), when modern mass homelessness emerged in Australia, their response was not to build more shelters for youth, but rather work to prevent homelessness from occurring in the first place through school-based early intervention. More recently, human rights-based homelessness legislation in Wales (2014) paved the way for a preventive approach that we refer to as 鈥淒uty to Assist鈥, whereby local authorities are required to take reasonable steps to prevent or end a person鈥檚 homelessness, and have recourse to a wide range of mechanisms of assistance. People who do not have their right to housing fulfilled can challenge this in court. This is what the future of homelessness prevention should look like.

Our international exchanges are also bi-directional. , a Canadian adaptation intended to design a Housing First intervention that meets the needs of developing adolescents and young adults, has gained traction in many countries in Europe, at a rate that is perhaps even faster than in Canada. Our international relations have paid big dividends, and we hope to open up opportunities for even more international engagement involving more partners from Canada and abroad.  

The sharing of knowledge internationally will be better enabled with the establishment of the Toronto Centre of Excellence. The Centre provides a container for such activities and mechanisms to catalyze our focus on prevention and youth homelessness internationally. The designation will enable us to leverage funds to expand the critically important opportunities for international engagement, co-production of research and other activities. This will enhance the quality and impact of the knowledge generated through Making the Shift in Canada and the entire UNECE region.

Over the coming months, we鈥檒l be working to implement our first year鈥檚 work plan for the Charter Centre, including hosting a virtual conference on Housing First for Youth with UNECE Member States. We鈥檒l also be exploring options for membership models for the Charter Centre. We want to thank 快播视频 and the Faculty of Education for all of their support to realize the Toronto Centre of Excellence.

Article originally published on the on June 16, 2021.

Authors:
, Faculty of Education Professor and CEO & President, Canadian Observatory on Homelessness
, CEO and PresidentA Way Home Canada

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Canada's response to youth homelessness during pandemic is focus of Making the Shift webinar /edu/2021/05/26/canadas-response-to-youth-homelessness-during-pandemic-is-focus-of-making-the-shift-webinar/ Wed, 26 May 2021 14:26:10 +0000 /edu/?p=27389 Making the Shift, a youth homelessness social innovation lab co-led by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness at 快播视频, will present the fourth webinar of the 鈥淚n Conversation With鈥︹ series on May 28 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

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(MtS), a youth homelessness social innovation lab co-led by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness at 快播视频, will present the fourth webinar of the 鈥淚n Conversation With...鈥 series on May 28 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Young homeless boy sitting on a bridge
Homeless youth are 193 times more likely than members of the
public to have been involved with the child welfare system

Titled "Child Welfare and Youth Homelessness Prevention in Canada," the webinar will examine pandemic responses to homelessness across the nation. In response to the pandemic, some provinces and territories have placed temporary moratoriums on transitions from care. These measures have opened up opportunities to rethink what transitions should look like for youth moving forward. Youth who have had some type of involvement with child protection services over their lifetime are at increased risk of experiencing homelessness, and advocates have long argued more needs to be done to support young people during these times of transition.

Drawing upon emerging research and perspectives from the frontlines, attendees will learn about the long-term solutions that are needed to support youth when transitioning from care, ensuring no young person is prematurely forced out of care. The question that will be addressed is: How can we build on some of the recent promising developments to collectively rethink our approach to child protection?

Join Melanie Doucet, PhD social work and MtS Scholar with Lived Experience, senior researcher and project manager at the Child Welfare League of Canada and researcher with the Centre for Research on Children and Families at McGill University; Michael Ungar, founder and director of the Resilience Research Centre and Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience; and David French, managing director of A Way Home Canada, in a rich discussion on how to stop the pipeline of young people from the child welfare system into homelessness through focusing on well-being instead of keeping young people in survival mode.

To register for this Zoom event, visit .

Audience members will also learn about the innovative research and knowledge mobilization work of Making the Shift at 快播视频, a youth homelessness social innovation lab with a mandate to make the shift from managing the crises of youth homelessness to a focus on prevention and housing stabilization.

Making the Shift is a Network of Centres of Excellence at 快播视频, under the co-leadership of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (快播视频).

Article from the May 25, 2021 issue of .


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