The Prevention Matters! series, hosted by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, brings brilliant minds together to explore evidence-based strategies designed to prevent homelessness before it starts. During the ninth episode of the series, Yes, It Works: How Housing First for Youth Transforms Lives, panelists broke down groundbreaking research findings on the Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) program model. This rights-based approach ensures young people receive immediate housing and comprehensive wraparound supports without preconditions.
New findings from the Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab, co-led by A Way Home Canada and the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, reveal that HF4Y leads to transformative outcomes, including:
- Improved housing stability, with youth securing long-term housing at a faster rate than those in traditional models.
- Stronger mental health outcomes, even during crises like COVID-19.
- Reduced crime rates and fewer justice system interactions.
- Greater social connections, resilience, and long-term stability.
With youth homelessness at a critical juncture, this session brought together leading researchers and practitioners to explore why HF4Y works, how it improves youth well-being, and what it means for future policy and program development.
The discussion was hosted by Stephen Gaetz, President and CEO of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH), and featured COH staff Ahmad Bonakdar, Senior Director of Research at COH; Cora MacDonald, Lead Researcher for the Housing First for Youth (HF4Y); Pa Sallah Drammeh, Biostatistician; and A Way Home Canada’s Heidi Walter, Program Design and Training Consultant. The panelists examined the evidence behind HF4Y and highlighted its impact on mental health, justice system involvement, and social support networks.
Key Research Findings: Why HF4Y Works
Housing Stability: The Foundation for Youth Success
Stable housing is the foundation of the Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) approach. At its core, HF4Y ensures young people have immediate and unconditional access to safe, suitable housing without preconditions like sobriety, employment, or participation in services. This contrasts with traditional models, which often require youth to demonstrate “readiness” before receiving housing support.
The panel highlighted findings from the Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Demonstration Lab, clearly demonstrating that youth enrolled in HF4Y programs were housed more rapidly and remained stably housed far longer compared to those receiving traditional supports. The data indicates that by quickly securing housing stability, youth experience reduced stress and can focus on building stable lives, accessing mental health resources, reconnecting with family, and pursuing long-term goals.
During the session, Stephen Gaetz emphasized HF4Y’s core philosophy:
“Every young person is ready for housing. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”
HF4Y Improves Mental Health Outcomes
Mental health is a critical consideration for youth experiencing homelessness as their challenges are deeply connected to instability and trauma. Stable housing provides the necessary foundation for emotional recovery, allowing youth to shift their focus from daily survival to long-term well-being.
Research from the Making the Shift Lab confirms that HF4Y participants showed significantly better emotional health compared to youth in traditional support models, even amid crises like COVID-19. Pa Sallah Drammeh, Biostatistician at Making the Shift, noted that over a two-year period, HF4Y youth consistently showed improved mental health outcomes compared to those receiving traditional services, indicating that housing stability directly contributes to lower stress and better emotional regulation.
By providing immediate housing, HF4Y allows youth to prioritize their mental health, build resilience, and move beyond mere survival.
HF4Y Disrupts the Cycle of Justice System Involvement
During the discussion, the panellists highlighted that without stable housing, many youth face increased interactions with law enforcement—not because of criminal behaviour, but due to survival-driven circumstances. Stephen Gaetz emphasized that HF4Y helps break this cycle by providing immediate, unconditional housing, reducing the need for emergency interventions.
Research presented during the session showed lower crime rates among HF4Y youth compared to those in traditional programs. By addressing the root causes of homelessness, HF4Y reduces reliance on public systems like emergency services and law enforcement.
The panel further emphasized HF4Y’s cost-effectiveness. As explained by Sallah:
“For every $1–2 spent on HF4Y, we save $6 in public spending. The moment we house youth, we relieve the burden on public institutions. Criminalizing homelessness and justice system involvement costs money—housing youth instead saves both lives and dollars.”
By investing in stable housing and support, communities not only protect young people from harmful cycles in the justice system, but also create significant cost savings, ensuring public resources are used more effectively.
HF4Y Empowers Youth to Envision Brighter Futures
Beyond housing stability and immediate outcomes, HF4Y empowers youth to imagine and plan for their long-term futures. Cora MacDonald, Lead Researcher for the HF4Y Demonstration Project, shared qualitative findings showing a clear distinction between youth in HF4Y and those in traditional support programs. While youth in traditional programs often focused on day-to-day survival, HF4Y participants articulated long-term aspirations and outlined the steps needed to achieve them.
Cora emphasized that stable housing and consistent support were pivotal for youth to not only dream but to act on those dreams:
“With Housing First for Youth participants, we found that they’re more likely to have clear goals and actionable plans emphasizing long-term aspirations and also very importantly, the steps needed to achieve them—so they’re dreaming but also operationalizing these dreams.”
These insights are supported by a recent peer-reviewed study published by the Making the Shift Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab. The study, “I Want a Purpose in My Life”: A Qualitative Exploration of How Homeless Youth Envision Their Futures, reveals how stable housing and targeted supports help youth shift from survival to envisioning and building meaningful futures.
HF4Y Strengthens Social Support & Resilience
A stable home is more than just shelter—it is the foundation for relationships, connection, and belonging. Many youth experiencing homelessness are disconnected from family and support networks, making stability even harder to achieve.
Panelists shared that HF4Y youth built stronger relationships with family, friends, and community supports over time. Ahmad Bonakdar explained:
“The Housing First for Youth group showed steady progress over time with some ups and downs, but an overall positive trajectory. In contrast, the treatment-as-usual group initially improved but then declined, returning to where they started.”
Similarly, Heidi Walter emphasized the importance of building lasting connections:
“We realized that while social workers and housing workers are important, we won’t be in these young people’s lives forever. Our job is to connect them back to social support, family, and meaningful relationships that will last.”
HF4Y ensures that youth not only have a home but also the support systems needed to thrive.
What’s Next for HF4Y? Scaling & Policy Action
The success of Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) is undeniable. Now, the challenge is expanding this life-changing approach to ensure stable housing becomes a reality for all young people.
Expanding HF4Y to More Communities: To successfully implement HF4Y, communities must assess their existing housing supports and transition toward youth-centered housing models. A Way Home Canada provides technical assistance and training to organizations looking to adopt HF4Y.
📩 Interested in bringing HF4Y to your community? Contact Heidi Walter at info@awayhome.ca for more information on training and implementation support.
Advancing HF4Y Through Research & Policy: The 48-month HF4Y study continues to provide valuable insights into long-term outcomes. Presentations on this study at the International Conference on Youth Homelessness Prevention sparked urgent discussions on scaling HF4Y, integrating it into national housing strategies, and ensuring sustainable funding.
To drive lasting change, HF4Y must be woven into national and local housing policies, making youth homelessness prevention not just a goal, but the standard.
Conclusion & Call to Action
The research is clear—Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) is a proven, cost-effective, and life-changing intervention. By investing in youth, we can prevent homelessness, improve well-being, and reduce long-term public costs.
📢 HF4Y is not just a program—it’s a proven solution that changes lives. But its success depends on action.
Be part of the shift to prevention. Check out other sessions in the Prevention Matters! series for insights from diverse perspectives on how to approach homelessness prevention.
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This session is part of our Making the Shift collective body of work on youth homelessness.