"Youth are our future; the
continued strength of our country depends in large part on how we raise
the next generation. It is our country’s responsibility to ensure that
they receive the supports they need to develop to their full potential. And
it is the right of every young person to have an adequate, affordable
home." (Raising
the Roof 2009, pg. 7)
In partnership with the Greater
Moncton Homelessness Steering Committee, this blog aims to address the pressing
issue of youth homelessness in the province of New Brunswick. Included are
statistics and media regarding the problem, explanations of the effects the
issue has on all residents of New Brunswick, along with suggested solutions and
information on the steps already being taken in the right direction.
What is Homelessness?
According to the 2010 Report Card on
Homelessness in Greater Moncton, homelessness can be defined based on four
criteria:
- Living on the street.
- Staying overnight in emergency shelters.
- Staying in places not meant for
human habitation.
- Moving continuously among
temporary housing arrangements provided by friends, family, or strangers
("couch surfing") (GMHSC 2010, para. 5).
Concerning Our Youth In New
Brunswick
Homeless youth can be identified by
their precarious living conditions, including poverty, residential instability,
and emotional and psychological vulnerability (Enhanced
Surveillance of Canadian Street Youth 2007, pg. 1), all of which can lead
to the serious consequences to be discussed.
In Canada, it is estimated that over
65,000 of our youth are without a home and living in the conditions listed
above (Virgin Mobile 2010, para. 3).
Statistics on homelessness in New
Brunswick are nearly non-existent. As is written in Jack Layton's, Homelessness:
How to End the National Crisis, "In New Brunswick, the buck is passed
and dropped [...] no data, no problem" (2008, pg. 120). However, the Greater
Moncton Homelessness Steering Committee estimated in 2010 that 737 people of
all ages had stayed in a shelter bed in Greater Moncton in 2009. To see the
full report on homelessness in Greater Moncton, follow the link below:
According to Layton and his research
on Moncton's House of Nazareth, New Brunswick's homeless youth population is
growing. Nationwide, it has been estimated that approximately one third of the
homeless population are youth. With this, it can be said that approximately
245.7 of Greater Moncton's youth are living without a home. In Saint John, it
is estimated that there are up to 200 homeless youth. These people, ranging
from ages 15-24, are at a much higher risk for sexually transmitted infections,
blood-borne illnesses (Enhanced Surveillance of Canadian Street Youth 2007, pg.
1), injury or death from exposure, and of course street activity such as drug
use.
How Does it Happen?
Research conducted independent of
the provincial government indicates that abuse, incest and neglect are often
driving factors for a young person to leave home and live on the streets
(Layton 2008, pg. 120). Believe it or not, these youth are most often homeless
because they feel they have no other option, not because they bring it on
themselves.
Image retrieved from: http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2011/07/massachusetts-study-finds-alarming-trend-in-homelessness-among-lgbtq-youth/
How Does
Youth Homelessness in New Brunswick Affect You?
For reasons other than pure altruism, New Brunswick tax payers
should be very concerned with the government's current methods of dealing with
youth homelessness. With Prime Minister Harper's new crime bill, C-10, our
homeless youth are at an increasingly high risk of imprisonment. It
entails harsher punishments for young offenders (Cohen 2011, para. 20), many of
whom are likely to be within the population of the homeless and misguided,
dabbling in street life and the crime that so often accompanies it. An
informative article regarding the passing of the new crime bill can be seen by
clicking the following link:
According to Virgin Mobile and Virgin Unite, it costs $100,000 per
year to keep one said homeless youth in a detention centre. That is almost
twice the average family income for New Brunswick families (Family Incomes in
Canada 2007, table 3).
Image retrieved from: http://www.cpcml.ca/OPF2011/OPF01005.HTM
Furthermore, according to a CTV News article on the hospitalization of the homeless, "past research found that homeless people land in hospitals more often, with 23 hospitalizations per 100 homeless people in one year versus five hospitalizations per 100 people in the general population" (CTV 2010, para. 13). The article also states that it costs $16,059 for the average hospital stay of a homeless person (CTV 2010, para. 5). Taking in mind the approximate 445.7 homeless youth in Greater Moncton and Saint John, 23% of whom will stay in a hospital this year, the estimated cost of such stays in those two areas is $1,646,224.15, to be paid for by New Brunswick tax payers! A full reading of the CTV News article can be accessed by clicking the link below:
Current Efforts
There are already many initiatives
already taking place across Canada, such as the Virgin Mobile campaign to make
November 17th National Youth Homelessness Awareness Day. Advocating for such
movements in the province of New Brunswick would no doubt bring more of the
awareness necessary for improvement.
Recently, even more reasons for
optimism have come to be in Greater Saint John. The provincial government
decided to provide $50,000 in financial support for the Saint John Youth House,
a planned housing facility created in an effort to help the approximate 200
homeless youth in the area (SJYH 2011, para. 2). Below is a video of Saint John
Harbour MLA Carl Killen presenting the donation:
Video retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZtceyVxq8Y
A full article regarding the
donation and the new shelter can be read by clicking the following link: Saint John Youth House
How You Can Help
-Educate yourself and others
-Volunteer your time to work
directly with people experiencing homelessness
-Advocate on behalf of homeless
-Contribute to and help
organizations that work to end homelessness
-Be aware of language you use, words
that are derogatory, insulting to the homeless
-Help to change attitudes (Calhoun,
2012).
Most importantly, we need to acknowledge the homeless youth in New Brunswick and stop blaming the victim. With the proper support, be it by donation of funds, mentoring, lobbying for changes in government policy, education, or volunteering, these youth, the province's future, could no doubt reach their potential.
Video retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnoa_c098yA
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Works Cited
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Works Cited
Cohen, J. (2011),. Tories omnibus crime bill passes in the House of Commons. Retrieved from http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/05/tories-omnibus-crime-bill-passes-in-the-house-of-commons/
Layton, J., (2008). Homelessness: How to End the National Crisis. Toronto: Penguin Books.
McFarlane, Bruce & Saint John Youth House (December, 2011). Province provides $50,000 for youth homeless facility. Retrieved from http://sjhomelessness.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/province-announces-50000-in-funding-for-youth-homeless-facility/
N.A., CTV News Staff, (March, 2011). Homeless patients cost hospitals more: study. Retrieved from http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Health/20110308/homeless-patients-costs-110308/
N.A., Greater Moncton Homelessness Steering Committee (2010). The Third Report Card on Homelessness in Greater Moncton, 2010. Retrieved from http://monctonhomelessness.org/documents/3rd%20moncton%20rc_2nd%20provincial%20rc.pdf
N.A., Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (2007). Financial Security- Family Income. Retrieved from http://www4.hrsdc.gc.ca/.3ndic.1t.4r@-eng.jsp?iid=21
N.A., Public Health Agency of Canada (2007). Findings from Enhanced Surveillance of Canadian Street Youth: 1999-2003. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/std-mts/reports_06/pdf/street_youth_e.pdf
N.A., Raising the Roof (2009). Youth Homelessness in Canada: The Road to Solutions. Retrieved from http://www.raisingtheroof.org/RaisingTheRoof/media/RaisingTheRoofMedia/Documents/RoadtoSolutions_fullrept_english.pdf
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