Thousands of young women in Toronto are homeless. Each year throughout the 1990s, about 2,000 young women aged 15 to 24 used shelters in Toronto. Homeless young women are often searching for someone to love and protect them and may become sexually active as a way to maintain relationships and avoid being alone, even if the relationship is a bad one. Some studies have found that as many as half of the homeless young women using health services or shelters are or have been pregnant. Homeless pregnant adolescents are a vulnerable group. Both homelessness and pregnancy are risk factors for poor health among youth. Pregnancy among homeless young women is associated with earlier and more severe abuse during childhood, earlier onset of drug use, and poor mental health. Several Toronto social service agencies have organized a network called Young Parents No Fixed Address (YPNFA) to address the needs of homeless young pregnant women and parents. The YPNFA Committee commissioned research to explore service interventions for young homeless mothers who lose custody of their child, with a focus on helping them cope with their loss and move on with their lives.

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