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Originally Broadcast March
10, 2004
NO WAY HOME
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EXPLORE THIS
ISSUE FURTHER:
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INTRODUCTION
While youth homelessness is not a new phenomenon, it has
become more severe in Canada over the past two decades.
How many youth homeless are there?
No one is quite certain of the total number of homeless
– both adult and youth – that exist in Canada.
The National
Homelessness Initiative (NHI) was set up by the
federal government in the late ‘90s as a response
to the burgeoning homelessness crisis seen in major
urban centers. But the five years since its inception,
the NHI admits there’s no accurate number for
Canada’s homeless.
The figure that is used in media accounts is that 200,000
Canadians are homeless at some point during any given
year, of which about one third are youth (25 years and
under) – or about 50,000 to 66,000. On any given
night, this means approximately 33,000 Canadians are
homeless, of which about 8,333 to 11,000 are youth.
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THE NUMBER OF HOMELESSNES:
On any given night, approximately
33,000 Canadians are homeless, of which about
8,333 to 11,000 are youth.
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In the City of Toronto – which has the largest
homeless population in Canada – one indication
that youth homeless problem is getting worse can be
seen in the growth of beds in the shelter system.
Today, in Toronto, there are 12 shelters for youth,
offering up 522 beds. In 1979, there were only two youth
shelters in the city, with a total of 95 beds. In the
past 25 years there has been a 450% increase in youth
shelter beds.
In Toronto, a good estimate suggests there are at least
10,000 different youth who are homeless at one point
on any given year – and anywhere from 1,500 to
2,000 on a given night.
Read more about Toronto’s
homeless shelter system at the city's website.
A
way out: Operation Go Home
One organization that will
pay the travel costs for street youth who wish to
return to their homes is Ottawa-based Operation
Go Home. It’s Canada's only organization that
reunites runaways, street youth, and or youth at
risk. Operation Go Home was formed in 1971 and is
a not-for-profit, national charity. It is not government
funded.
It is recognized by the RCMP, "Our Missing
Children's" (which is a group consisting of
RCMP, Customs, Immigration, Justice Dept. Dept.
Foreign Affairs.) The organization has reunited
over 450 youth since 2000. They have a national
crisis/support line that is 24hrs a day 7 days a
week, 365 days a year, and is 1-800-668-4663.
Operation Go Home’s mandate is to “reunite
runaway youth (age 16 and 19) with their parents/guardians;
or to connect them with appropriate agencies that
can best suit their needs” as well as “to
foster self-esteem and self-confidence through front-line
interaction with street youth, with the goal of
employability, empowering these youth to become
contributing members of society.” |
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MAIN - WHO
ARE HOMELESS YOUTH? - LIFE
ON THE STREET
THE HAZARDS OF HOMELESSNESS - THE
CAUSES OF HOMELESSNESS
THE COST OF HOMELESSNESS
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