{"id":565,"date":"2023-11-24T21:51:20","date_gmt":"2023-11-24T21:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/capitalchill\/?p=565"},"modified":"2023-11-24T21:51:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-24T21:51:20","slug":"out-in-the-cold-new-initiative-neglects-needs-of-ottawas-homeless-youth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cusjc.ca\/capitalchill\/2023\/11\/24\/out-in-the-cold-new-initiative-neglects-needs-of-ottawas-homeless-youth\/","title":{"rendered":"Out in the cold: New initiative neglects needs of Ottawa’s homeless youth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe announced a new Emergency Shelter Crisis task force last month to respond to the \u201cunprecedented demand\u201d for homeless shelters this winter, advocates say one particular group was left out.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The assistant director of community services at Youth Services Bureau, Michael Wade says the number of homeless youth in Ottawa is unknown. It is tricky to calculate the exact number because youth homelessness manifests in many ways. “The problem is larger than is reported.” [Photo courtesy of Jason Pino] <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The taskforce was designed to create \u201cemergency shelter services for single adults experiencing or at risk of homelessness,\u201d according to a memo sent to the mayor and city council on Nov. 1. Demand for emergency shelters, the memo said, is \u201coutpacing supply,\u201d painting a grim picture for Ottawa\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are over 250 people currently living unsheltered, a large portion of whom will seek to access shelter services through the winter,\u201d the memo said, noting 187 additional beds may be required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the needs of homeless adults were considered, the memo does not explicitly mention homeless youth once. That\u2019s a striking omission since young people between the ages of 13 and 25 make up 20 per cent of Canada\u2019s homeless population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYouth are the poor cousin within the homelessness sector,\u201d said Kaite Burkholder Harris, the executive director of the Alliance to End Homelessness. \u201cThey\u2019re often not part of the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reality of youth homelessness in Ottawa<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Officially, Ottawa has more than 100 documented homeless youth, but \u201cwe know the number is larger than that,\u201d Burkholder Harris said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Wade, the assistant director of community services for the Youth Services Bureau (YSB), agreed the number is likely higher, and added calculating an exact number of homeless youth is complicated because \u201cthere is no accurate measure of it in Ottawa.\u201d For example, some youth shelters are not financially supported by the city and thus are not included in Ottawa\u2019s \u201cofficial\u201d numbers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is clear is that only 32 beds in shelters are specifically designated for youth, Wade said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the demand for youth shelters far outweighs the supply, young people are often turned away, Burkholder Harris said. This introduces them to significant risks on the streets and often exposes them to certain dangers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Survival sex is one danger on the streets when there is nowhere else to go. Burkholder Harris said people sometimes think they\u2019re just going to stay overnight at a person\u2019s house but find themselves pressured to have sex in exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 60 per cent of street-involved youth report violent victimization, meaning they are six times more likely to be victimized compared to the general population, according to Homeless Hub<\/a>, an online research library created by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know that homeless young people are at increased risk of becoming victims of criminal activity, sexual exploitation or substance abuse,\u201d Wade said.  \u201cIn that sense, homelessness is a danger to young people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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