Stephen Gaetz Archives - News@91��ɫ

91��ɫ U prof available to speak to media on how to stop homelessness

egamulin — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Co-host of world’s largest conference on youth homelessness prevention says number one reason for homelessness is a lack of affordable housing; addressing family conflict key for adolescents

TORONTO, Feb. 20, 2025 – 91��ɫ Faculty of Education professor , also president of the , says after decades of research and advocacy work, homelessness prevention is no longer being treated as a “dirty word” by the policy makers, government agencies and not-for-profits he talks to.

The concept of prevention – basic on the surface, but previously met with so much resistance – seems to finally be having its moment, says Gaetz, perhaps in part because the problem has become impossible to ignore.

“Homelessness is on people's minds. The growth in the numbers in Toronto and across Canada and the rise in encampments make homelessness highly visible, and while what we are advocating for hasn’t changed, the resistance to these ideas certainly has,” says Gaetz, who along with Melanie Redman of is next week in Toronto.

“The main reason for homelessness in general is a lack of affordable housing, but for youth in particular, family conflict plays a huge role. Half of homeless people will have their first experience of homelessness under the age of 25, so preventing youth homelessness is a crucial part of tackling the larger crisis.”

Acknowledging that the housing ‘crisis’ is actually a chronic condition that continues to grow worse, Gaetz advocates for a public-health model of prevention. This includes broad strategies that benefit society as a whole, such as widely available affordable childcare and housing, to targeting those most at risk of homelessness, with specific strategies dealing with Indigenous homelessness, interventions for those facing imminent eviction, and for those who do find themselves homeless, swift interventions to house them immediately and make sure they don’t become homeless again.

A key intervention for youth is to enhance their family connections and other natural supports.

“If we focused our efforts on preventing youth homelessness, not only would we have better outcomes for young people, but also for their families and communities, and in the long run we would have an impact on chronic homelessness,” says Gaetz.

“Currently, youth who age out of foster care, hospital patients and those being released from prison are all being discharged into homelessness in this country. This should never happen.”

Held Monday, February 24 to Wednesday, February 26 at the Westin Harbour Castle, the conference will feature researchers, service providers, experts with lived experience and thought leaders from Canada and around the world, highlighting research that showcases evidence-based solutions to youth homelessness.

With more than 500 people registered for the event, Gaetz says to his knowledge it is the largest conference hosted on the topic of youth homelessness prevention to date. Gaetz is available at the conference and beyond to speak to the media on concrete strategies communities can adopt to prevent homelessness, and youth homelessness in particular.

Why half of homeless people first experience homelessness as youth and how addressing family conflict for both youth and their families is key
The connection between foster care, criminalization and homelessness
The key evidence-based interventions that have demonstrated how to prevent youth homelessness.
Why providing homeless people with housing is cheaper and more effective than focusing resources on the shelter system
Examples from around the world of governments successfully taking action to prevent homelessness

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Media Contact:

Emina Gamulin, 91��ɫ Media Relations, 437-217-6362, egamulin@yorku.ca

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Towards ending homelessness: New report calls for major shift

roshanp — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 10:53:56 +0000

TORONTO, April 20, 2017 – It is time to prioritize homelessness prevention, says a new report from the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH).

“We would never build our health care system around the emergency department only, so why would we think this way in addressing homelessness?” says 91��ɫ professor Stephen Gaetz, Director of the COH, a national research institute based at 91��ɫ. “While there will always be a need for emergency services to help those in crisis, we need to focus on preventive strategies that address the many causes of homelessness, to reduce the number of people in Canada who experience the trauma of becoming homeless.”

The report, , calls for adoption of a model similar to preventive health care, with policies, practices and interventions that reduce the likelihood someone will experience homelessness. Homelessness prevention also includes providing those who have been homeless with support to reduce the risk that they will become homeless again.

Some innovative Housing First policies are being used in parts of Canada to help people successfully exit homelessness, says Gaetz. To complement these efforts, and to stem the flow of people into homelessness in the first place, it is time to shift direction to prevention strategies, he says, and it is a particularly good time to do so. The federal government is working on the upcoming National Housing Strategy and seems to recognize the role of prevention, and several provinces including Ontario and Alberta have homelessness strategies that they have rolled out or are in the process of rolling out.

Communities have been asking for prevention strategies for a long time, said postdoctoral fellow Erin Dej, who co-authored the report with Gaetz.

“Currently, many individuals who leave institutional or state care of one form or another do not have housing or necessary supports, and so we transfer the problem from one sector to another, rather than stopping the flow into homelessness in the first place,” she said. “We need prevention strategies that recognize that access to housing is a human right.”

A rights-based approach will require the appropriate areas of government – health care, child protection, justice and others – to be responsible for their role in preventing people from becoming homeless, according to Gaetz and Dej.

Their Framework for Homelessness Prevention outlines an integrative systems approach to prevention, addressing the structural, systematic and individual factors that lead to homelessness. It identifies roles and responsibilities in the prevention of homelessness, from the policy level where structural barriers to housing are considered, to people who work with young people that are leaving child protection systems, to those providing assistance to prevent evictions.

The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness will consult on the report for about a year to highlight successful and innovative programs and approaches from Canada and internationally. The goal is to begin a national conversation about homelessness prevention and come up with practical solutions that will really make a change, says Gaetz, and to mobilize support from all levels of government, along with a commitment to changing the way we as a country address homelessness.

The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is a non-profit, non-partisan research institute that is committed to conducting and mobilizing research so as to contribute to solutions to homelessness. For more information: homelesshub.ca, @homelesshub

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Anjum Nayyar, Media Relations, 91��ɫ, 416 736-2100 ext. 44543, anayyar@yorku.ca

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