When Difference Matters: Matching Service Delivery to Diverse Street Youth Populations

Abstract

Youth homelessness is a growing and increasingly alarming phenomenon in Canada, posing a challenge to service providers and policy-makers who are working with limited resources and program funding. There is a growing concern for the physical and mental health of homeless youth, who may be involved in high-risk behaviour with little support and guidance from concerned adults. Homeless youth represent a subset of the homeless population with very unique needs - they face extreme alienation and disadvantage, all during a life-stage that is tumultuous and difficult for even the most fortunate of young people. Thus the population of youth on the street in Canada is diverse and constantly changing. This paper will provide an overview of the findings and field observations from research conducted by members of the Housing and Health Research Team, as well as key learnings from the literature, to describe the heterogeneity of Canadian and Halifax street youth, and the services the rely upon for survival.