Racism and youth homelessness - the impacts of social inequality on the housing crisis

Racism and inequality play a big role in homelessness. Around a million youth are homeless every year, with the majority of the population being people of colour. This brings up the question of why and how race impacts homelessness?

Statistically, people of colour, are more likely to end up in homeless shelters because of past eviction records which make it difficult to get a house, not enough resources to pay rent, and the list goes on and on. "Centuries of structural racism have excluded historically oppressed people from equal housing, community support, and opportunities for economic mobility." Indigenous groups in Canada make up only 4.3% of the total population, but make up 30.6% of the homeless population. The statistics for homelessness among the youth give us an even deeper insight into the discrimination and bias embedded in the system. Statistics and surveys show that 78% of the homeless youth population is made up of black kids and all young people of colour account for nearly 90% of the total. Race-based discrimination, trauma, and homelessness can cause a lot of health issues due to unsanitary living conditions and little to no medical support, like heart diseases, allergies, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc.

Just like minority groups within Canada, refugees coming into Canada also face similar issues with homelessness. Many refugees deal with "psychological distress, unemployment, a lack of social capital, language barriers, discrimination, lack of access to transportation, and lack of credit history." This puts refugees at an increased risk of homelessness compared to other groups, like wealthy immigrants, arriving in Canada.

In Canada, the majority of the social services and health sectors are made up of people who belong to families with white and/or middle-class backgrounds, whereas, the people who require these services are from various marginalized communities. Taking into account that there are many different cultures present in Canada is an important step for effective services. Many marginalized groups include non-English speakers, who tend to have "more health problems because of lack of information and difficulties accessing health care." To solve race-related homelessness, we must first dive into racial justice. And to do so, it is important to acknowledge and counter the current accessibility issues within Canada that are caused by the language barriers and lack of information among communities that are at greater risk of experiencing homelessness. The rate of homelessness within Canada can only be reduced if effective measures are taken, the people are advocated for, and the stigma around talking about and acknowledging the issue of homelessness is eliminated.

Works Cited

1. “Do homelessness services need to be culturally relevant?” The Homeless Hub, 23 September 2016, http://homelesshub.ca/blog/do-homelessness-services-need-be-culturally-relevant. Accessed 20 March 2022.

2. Gerke, Jane. “How Race Impacts Youth Experiencing Homelessness.” Homeless Youth Connection, 11 May 2021, https://hycaz.org/race-impacts/. Accessed 20 March 2022.

3. “How will refugees impact homelessness?” The Homeless Hub, 4 March 2016, https://homelesshub.ca/blog/how-will-refugees-impact-homelessness. Accessed 20 March 2022.

4. Roberts, Sorsha. “Key Facts: Poverty and Poor Health.” Health Poverty Action, 10 January 2018, https://www.healthpovertyaction.org/info-and-resources/the-cycle-of-poverty-and-poor-health/key-facts/. Accessed 20 March 2022.

Researcher: Angelina Manoj (Researcher from Power to the Youth Toronto)

Editor: Pallavi Hooda (Editor lead from Power to the Youth Toronto)

Date published: April 16th, 2022