681 youth living homeless in Metro Vancouver: report

A new report on the state of youth homelessness in Metro Vancouver is shedding some light on an well hidden issue.

Based on a count over nine days in early April, researchers found 681 people between 13 and 24 years old living without homes in the region.

"It's a much higher number than you would see in the traditional homeless counts, and starts to really tell us about youth who are experiencing homelessness," said Lorraine Copas, chair of theHomelessness Partnering Strategy Community Advisory Board.

"We didn't know what to expect," said Copas; "681 is an upsetting number, because it actually tells you a lot about children and youth whoare struggling to get by in a housing system that's quite unforgiving."

Some key findings in the report, which was prepared for the Metro Vancouver Community Entity, include:

• 349 homeless youth were living in Vancouver, 106 in Surrey.
• 26 per cent of people were living rough on the street.
• 74 per cent were couch-surfing, in shelters, detox, transition or recovery homes.
• 42 per cent identified as Aboriginal or Indigenous.
• 44 per cent were female, 52 per cent male, and fourper cent identified as another gender (121 people didn't include gender identity information).
• 26 per cent identified as LGBT.
• 72 per cent reported having a mental illness.
• 53 per cent reported issues with addiction.

Some homeless youth not counted

David Wells, chair of the Aboriginal Homelessness Steering Committee for the greater Vancouver area, said that though the Indigenous youth were overrepresented in the homeless count, they were likely still undercounted.

"We're not capturing [Indigenous] youth because of their experience with the system, whether it be the corrections system, whether it be the foster care system," said Wells, adding that past experience often leads to fear.

"That feeds into their resistance to connecting with any of the existing shelteror other supports that might move them toward a potential home situation," he said.

According to Copas, the total number of peoplecounted was also lower than the actual number of youth without homes. She said the nine-day span in which the information was gathered gives a much more accurate picture than other one-day homeless counts, but many people still wouldn't have come in contact with the relevant facilities and services during the count.

Copassaid one of the main takeaways from the report is that housing in the region is not affordable enough, and more needs to be done for people living below the poverty line.

"We really want a strong poverty reduction program, both in B.C. and federally," she said.

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