Alex Abramovich has been working to help change the conditions faced by LGBTQ youth who are experiencing homelessness and attempting to access the emergency shelter system. As this infographic demonstrates, LGBTQ youth are disproportionately more likely to experience homelessness. Despite this fact, there are no emergency shelters that are specifically for LGBTQ youth in Canada.
All youth who are experiencing homelessness are faced with a myriad of risks that can be mediated by facilitating safe and secure housing. Alex’s recent research has demonstrated that LGBTQ youth are significantly more likely to experience abuse within the shelter system. They are also unlikely to be aware of complaint mechanisms. Even when they are, the system for filing complaints is frequently not accessible.
Alex’s research is not only academically rigorous, but it stays focused on narrative experiences of youth homelessness. Alex’s work affirms the importance of maintaining a focus on humanity within conditions of depravity and exclusion that can be so dehumanizing. For many young academics beginning research on youth homelessness, Alex’s work is an excellent model and inspiration for carrying out community based research.
I’m happy to share Alex’s infographics this week and encourage you to also refer to Alex’s previous chapter in The Homeless Hub’s 2013 e-book ‘Youth Homelessness in Canada’.
