Homelessness%20in%20Toronto%20(1999)

1
Homelessness in Toronto (1999)

• Hostel users 71 male, 29 female
• 26,000 people used Toronto hostels in 1996
• 3,200 people use hostels on any given night (the
  number is higher in the winter)
• 170,000 used shelters between 1988-1996
• Fastest growing group of hostel users are youth
  under the age of 18 and families with children

2
Homelessness in Toronto

• 1988 24 of households in hostel system were
  headed by women
• 1996 37 of households in hostel system were
  head by women
• 5,300 children were homeless in 1996 (that
  constitutes 19 of the homeless population)
• Between 30-35 of homeless are mentally ill
• An estimated 754 of homeless, single women are
  mentally ill

3
Homelessness in Toronto

• 4,400 people in 1996 (17 of hostel users) stayed
  in the hostel system one or more years
• This chronic group occupies 46 of the hostel
  beds
• 47 of hostel users come from outside of Toronto
• gt100,000 people are on the waiting list for
  social housing in Toronto
• gt31,000 children are on the waiting listat
  current placement rate, families would have to
  wait 17 years to obtain housing
• Poverty is increasing for those on the waiting
  listgt 1/3 have incomes lt800/month

4
Child Poverty in Toronto

• Incidence of child poverty in Toronto is double
  that of the rest of Ontario
• More than one in three children in Toronto are
  poor (37.7 of children under 12 yrs.)
• 15,000 children are waiting for subsidized child
  care spaces, 21,500 more spaces are needed for
  the Ontario Works programme
• The number of children in need of food relief in
  Toronto has almost doubled from 32,000 in 1989 to
  more than 60,000 in 1998

5
Causes of Homelessness

• Increased poverty
• Lack of affordable housing
• Deinstitutionalization and lack of discharge
  planning
• Social factors (e.g., domestic violence, physical
  sexual abuse, alienation of individuals from
  families friends)

6
Prevention Strategies

• Shelter allowances for the working poor
• Rent banks for short-term loans
• Databases of affordable housing
• Legal assistance
• Enforce anti-discrimination legislation
• Welfare recipients need funding for first last
  months rent.
• Individual support counselling
• Community economic development

7
Homelessness in Toronto (1999)

• Hostel users 71 male, 29 female
• 26,000 people used Toronto hostels in 1996
• 3,200 people use hostels on any given night (the
  number is higher in the winter)
• 170,000 used shelters between 1988-1996
• Fastest growing group of hostel users are youth
  under the age of 18 and families with children

8
Homelessness in Toronto

• 1988 24 of households in hostel system were
  headed by women
• 1996 37 of households in hostel system were
  head by women
• 5,300 children were homeless in 1996 (that
  constitutes 19 of the homeless population)
• Between 30-35 of homeless are mentally ill
• An estimated 754 of homeless, single women are
  mentally ill

9
Homelessness in Toronto

• 4,400 people in 1996 (17 of hostel users) stayed
  in the hostel system one or more years
• This chronic group occupies 46 of the hostel
  beds
• 47 of hostel users come from outside of Toronto
• gt100,000 people are on the waiting list for
  social housing in Toronto
• gt31,000 children are on the waiting listat
  current placement rate, families would have to
  wait 17 years to obtain housing
• Poverty is increasing for those on the waiting
  listgt 1/3 have incomes lt800/month

10
Child Poverty in Toronto

• Incidence of child poverty in Toronto is double
  that of the rest of Ontario
• More than one in three children in Toronto are
  poor (37.7 of children under 12 yrs.)
• 15,000 children are waiting for subsidized child
  care spaces, 21,500 more spaces are needed for
  the Ontario Works programme
• The number of children in need of food relief in
  Toronto has almost doubled from 32,000 in 1989 to
  more than 60,000 in 1998

11
Causes of Homelessness

• Increased poverty
• Lack of affordable housing
• Deinstitutionalization and lack of discharge
  planning
• Social factors (e.g., domestic violence, physical
  sexual abuse, alienation of individuals from
  families friends)

12
Prevention Strategies

• Shelter allowances for the working poor
• Rent banks for short-term loans
• Databases of affordable housing
• Legal assistance
• Enforce anti-discrimination legislation
• Welfare recipients need funding for first last
  months rent.
• Individual support counselling
• Community economic development

13
Homelessness in Girls Young Women(data from
Novac, Serge, Eberle Brown, 2002)

• Among a sample of Ottawa shelter users, more
  young women than men cited parental abuse as the
  reason for homelessness (25 vs. 11) or had been
  abused (31 vs. 14)
• 2,150 single women (out of a total of 6,310
  youth) used Toronto shelters in 1999. The total
  number of shelter beds increased by almost 600
  beds from December 2000 to February 2001,
  totaling 3,075 beds (plus another 169 places
  available through the Out of the Cold Program and
  another 90 during cold weather alerts.

14
Homelessness in Girls Young Women

• A Montreal study found
• More females than males stayed with
  relatives/friends. Fewer females than males were
  on the streetthey used personal networks to
  avoid visible homelessness
• More females than males engaged in prostitution
• Most of the younger females had prior involvement
  with the child welfare system
• Early school leaving was common (half the females
  18-25 had not finished high school

15
Homelessness in Girls Young Women

• Montreal study
• Family poverty only moderately associated with
  homelessness (the majority reported that their
  families did not have financial problems)
• Over-representation of aboriginal youth
• Illicit activities were common (e.g. drug
  dealing, shoplifting, etc.)
• More young women than men had no source of income
  (44 vs. 5). They were less likely than men to
  have received financial assistance from relatives
  (3 vs. 23) or received social assistance (36
  vs. 48)

16
Health Issues

• Homeless youth are more likely to have problems
  with
• Respiratory tract infections
• STDs
• Skin infections
• Substance abuse
• Trauma
• Hepatitis B infections
• HIV/AIDS
• Dental disease
• Pregnancy

17
Health Issues

• A Toronto study found that more than half of
  female street youth had attempted suicide and
  suffered from clinical depression.
• A Montreal study found 35 of homeless youth had
  attempted suicide, 63 reported suicidal
  thoughts, and 9 reported severe depression.
• Alcohol and drug use were higher in a Toronto
  sample of homeless youth than in a nonhomeless
  group.
• A Calgary study found that 71 of homeless youth
  were involved in delinquency (stealing, burglary,
  shoplifting).

18
Homelessness in Toronto (1999)

• Hostel users 71 male, 29 female
• 26,000 people used Toronto hostels in 1996
• 3,200 people use hostels on any given night (the
  number is higher in the winter)
• 170,000 used shelters between 1988-1996
• Fastest growing group of hostel users are youth
  under the age of 18 and families with children

19
Homelessness in Toronto

• 1988 24 of households in hostel system were
  headed by women
• 1996 37 of households in hostel system were
  head by women
• 5,300 children were homeless in 1996 (that
  constitutes 19 of the homeless population)
• Between 30-35 of homeless are mentally ill
• An estimated 754 of homeless, single women are
  mentally ill

20
Homelessness in Toronto

• 4,400 people in 1996 (17 of hostel users) stayed
  in the hostel system one or more years
• This chronic group occupies 46 of the hostel
  beds
• 47 of hostel users come from outside of Toronto
• gt100,000 people are on the waiting list for
  social housing in Toronto
• gt31,000 children are on the waiting listat
  current placement rate, families would have to
  wait 17 years to obtain housing
• Poverty is increasing for those on the waiting
  listgt 1/3 have incomes lt800/month

21
Child Poverty in Toronto

• Incidence of child poverty in Toronto is double
  that of the rest of Ontario
• More than one in three children in Toronto are
  poor (37.7 of children under 12 yrs.)
• 15,000 children are waiting for subsidized child
  care spaces, 21,500 more spaces are needed for
  the Ontario Works programme
• The number of children in need of food relief in
  Toronto has almost doubled from 32,000 in 1989 to
  more than 60,000 in 1998

22
Causes of Homelessness

• Increased poverty
• Lack of affordable housing
• Deinstitutionalization and lack of discharge
  planning
• Social factors (e.g., domestic violence, physical
  sexual abuse, alienation of individuals from
  families friends)

23
Prevention Strategies

• Shelter allowances for the working poor
• Rent banks for short-term loans
• Databases of affordable housing
• Legal assistance
• Enforce anti-discrimination legislation
• Welfare recipients need funding for first last
  months rent.
• Individual support counselling
• Community economic development

24
Homelessness in Girls Young Women(data from
Novac, Serge, Eberle Brown, 2002)

• Among a sample of Ottawa shelter users, more
  young women than men cited parental abuse as the
  reason for homelessness (25 vs. 11) or had been
  abused (31 vs. 14)
• 2,150 single women (out of a total of 6,310
  youth) used Toronto shelters in 1999. The total
  number of shelter beds increased by almost 600
  beds from December 2000 to February 2001,
  totaling 3,075 beds (plus another 169 places
  available through the Out of the Cold Program and
  another 90 during cold weather alerts.

25
Homelessness in Girls Young Women

• A Montreal study found
• More females than males stayed with
  relatives/friends. Fewer females than males were
  on the streetthey used personal networks to
  avoid visible homelessness
• More females than males engaged in prostitution
• Most of the younger females had prior involvement
  with the child welfare system
• Early school leaving was common (half the females
  18-25 had not finished high school

26
Homelessness in Girls Young Women

• Montreal study
• Family poverty only moderately associated with
  homelessness (the majority reported that their
  families did not have financial problems)
• Over-representation of aboriginal youth
• Illicit activities were common (e.g. drug
  dealing, shoplifting, etc.)
• More young women than men had no source of income
  (44 vs. 5). They were less likely than men to
  have received financial assistance from relatives
  (3 vs. 23) or received social assistance (36
  vs. 48)

27
Health Issues

• Homeless youth are more likely to have problems
  with
• Respiratory tract infections
• STDs
• Skin infections
• Substance abuse
• Trauma
• Hepatitis B infections
• HIV/AIDS
• Dental disease
• Pregnancy

28
Health Issues

• A Toronto study found that more than half of
  female street youth had attempted suicide and
  suffered from clinical depression.
• A Montreal study found 35 of homeless youth had
  attempted suicide, 63 reported suicidal
  thoughts, and 9 reported severe depression.
• Alcohol and drug use were higher in a Toronto
  sample of homeless youth than in a nonhomeless
  group.
• A Calgary study found that 71 of homeless youth
  were involved in delinquency (stealing, burglary,
  shoplifting).

29
Homelessness in Canada

• Statistics Canada estimates that more than 10,000
  people are homeless in Canada
• A Toronot survey (1997) of 300 shelter users
  found that 2/3 reported a lifetime diagnosis of
  mental illness (4 was the least reported factor
  for becoming homeless)
• Loss of job or insufficient funds to pay rent was
  the main reason given for homelessness (34)

30
Measuring Homelessness

• No widely accepted definition of homeless exists
• Differing sampling methods in different cities
  can result in over- or underestimating the number
  of homeless
• The homeless may be difficult to reach (e.g.,
  youth)
• Data are collected at different times of the
  year, but seasonal variation exists
• Homeless is more common in certain groups (e.g.,
  aboriginal peoples)

31
Aboriginal Peoples and Homelessness

• Hamilton Aboriginals comprise 1.3 of Hamiltons
  population, but represent 20 of its homeless
• Vancouver Aboriginals comprise 2 of the
  population, but represent 30 of the homeless

32
Pathways to Homelessness

• Housing costs
• Decline in new rental housing, low vacancy rates
• Long waiting lists for subsidized housing
• Poverty
• Loss of employment
• Mental health addictions

33
Mental Health Homelessness

• Reported stress levels are higher in the homeless
  
• Coping and substance abuse
• Social support
• Self-esteem
• Suicidal behaviours
• Schizophrenia personality disorder
• Substance abuse
• Depression

Richmond Street, Toronto
34
Mental Health Homelessness

• Toronto 2/3 of homeless reported having received
  a diagnosis of mental illness at some point
  during their lifetime 25 reported receiving
  psychiatric outpatient services in past year
• New York City homeless schizophrenic men were
  less likely to receive discharge planning,
  aftercare finances than nonhomeless men

35
Mental Health HomelessnessSchizophrenia
Personality Disorder

• Less than 1 of adults in the general population
  reported being diagnosed as schizophrenic
• Toronto 6 of shelter users reported a
  psychiatric disorder (usually schizophrenia)
• Vancouver 19 of shelter users were diagnosed
  with psychiatric condition about a quarter of
  those were schizophrenic
• 29 of shelter users met criteria for anti-social
  personality (often with another
  conditiondepression, PTSD
• Homeless youth 24 met criteria for PT

36
Mental Health HomelessnessSchizophrenia
Personality Disorder

• Less than 1 of adults in the general population
  reported being diagnosed as schizophrenic
• Toronto 6 of shelter users reported a
  psychiatric disorder (usually schizophrenia)
• Vancouver 19 of shelter users were diagnosed
  with psychiatric condition about a quarter of
  those were schizophrenic
• 29 of shelter users met criteria for anti-social
  personality (often with another
  conditiondepression, PTSD
• Homeless youth 24 met criteria for PTSD

37
Mental Health HomelessnessSubstance Abuse
Concurrent Disorders

• Toronto 68 of shelter users reported a lifetime
  diagnosis of substance abuse or dependence
• Vancouver 44 of homeless reported marijuana
  cocaine use within past month
• Edmonton 40 55 of homeless youth reported
  drinking alcohol and using marijuana at least 2
  or 3 times a week. 55 reported using either
  cocaine, heroin, amphetamines or tranquilizers in
  past year

38
Mental Health HomelessnessDepressive Symptoms
Major Depressive Disorder

• Ottawa homeless youth were more likely (39) to
  report depressive symptoms than nonhomeless youth
  (20). 33 of adult homeless reported mental
  health problems (20 were depression)
• Kitchener-Waterloo 48 of street youth reported
  a decrease in their depression level since
  leaving home 28 reported an increase
• Northeast US city 12 of homeless youth reported
  depression rates were higher for females (20
  vs. 7 for males). 73 reported they experienced
  their 1st depressive episode before leaving home

39
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40
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41
Mental health behavioural disorders were the
most common reason for ER/ED visits by the
homeless, but were not in the top 5 for the
nonhomeless. These conditions accounted for 35
of the visits by the homeless.
42
Reasons for Hospital Admission in the Homeless

• Psychoactive substance use (54)
• Psychoactive substance use predominated for men
  (62), but was only 32 for women
• Schizophrenia delusional disorders (20)
• Schizophrenia delusional disorders were 28 for
  homeless women, 18 for homeless men