Mental Health and Youth Homelessness: A Critical Review - Homeless Hub Research Summary Series

Canadian literature has not fully uncovered the relationship between youth homelessness and mental health, and how they are related to both risks and resources present in pre-street and homeless circumstances. It is clear that homeless youth experience high rates of poor mental health, and that many youth are immersed in an environment characterized by substantial risk. Evidence suggests that many youth are subjected to tremendous adversity, including family conflict and various types of abuse and victimization well before they experience homelessness. These occurrences can have a substantial impact on the mental health of youth, which often worsens with the experience of homelessness. Despite the frequent mental health challenges of homeless youth, the majority are not receiving any form of treatment.

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Gaetz, S., O’Grady, B., Buccieri, K., Karabanow, J., & Marsolais, A. (Eds.), Youth Homelessness in Canada: Implications for Policy and Practice. Toronto: Canadian Homelessness Research Network Press.

Publication Date: 
2013