Transcript Chapter Five – Young Adult Issues & Trends Leaving Home Gender Roles – In Class  Cultural Conflict – Read  The Costs of.

Chapter Five – Young Adult
Issues & Trends
Leaving Home
Gender Roles – In Class
 Cultural Conflict – Read
 The Costs of Education – Read
 Homeless Youth – In Class
 Suicide – In Class

Homeless Youth
Defined – Homeless includes:
.
 those staying with friends
.
 those sleeping outside or in whatever
space to protect them from the
weather
According to Wikipedia

Homelessness is the condition and social
category of people who lack housing, because
they cannot afford, or are otherwise unable to
maintain, regular, safe, and adequate shelter.
The term "homelessness" may also include
people whose primary night time residence is in
a homeless shelter, in an institution that provides
a temporary residence for individuals intended to
be institutionalized, or in a public or private place
not designed for use as a regular sleeping
accommodation for human beings. A small
number of people choose to be homeless
nomads, such as some Romani people
(Gypsies) and members of some subcultures. An
estimated 100 million people worldwide are
homeless.
Homeless Youth
Always been homeless people, but the
number has been growing in industrial
nations
.
.
 Toronto – 26 000 people use shelters
daily – increasing yearly
 Montreal – 4000 to 5000 homeless youth
 Halifax – 100 homeless youth
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Causes of Homelessness
One – Disruptive Family Conditions
 .
 Physical, psychological, or sexual abuse lead to
neglect or abandonment
 75% of street youth report being victims of
abuse
 Custody issues leave children without parents
 Leave to escape parental rules
I would rather be homeless," one street teen said.
"It is cold and miserable on the streets, but it is
better than being beaten up by parents who
don't care."
Miscellaneous
Causes of Homelessness
Two – Residential Instability
 20% of homeless youth come from foster care
 50 000 young Canadians run away for home
each year
 90% return home within 60 days, but most of
the remaining 10% remain homeless
“Many foster children have had difficulty
making the transition to independent
living. Several are homeless, become
single parents, commit crimes, or live in
poverty. They are also frequent targets
of crime.”
Charles Foster Bass
Causes of Homelessness
Three – Leave Home Unsuccessfully
 Leave home to work and live independently but
become homeless when they are unable to
move back home
 Typically suffer from financial crisis
 .
“What difference does it make to the
dead, the orphans, and the homeless,
whether the mad destruction is wrought
under the name of totalitarianism or the
holy name of liberty or democracy?”
Gandhi
The Daily Challenges of Homeless
Youth
Daily Changes:
 Unable to plan for a productive life
 .
 Depend on begging or illegal means of income to meet
basic needs
 .
 Addictions – est. 40% use intravenous drugs (sometimes
support by working in the sex trade, could lead to HIV)
 .
 Street youth have a mortality rate 13 times higher than
other youth
 Attracted to temporarily (often harmful) solutions to large
problems
 Poor education, poor job opportunities, poor self-esteem,
poor identity, poor self-worth, poor judgment – all equal an
unsuccessful transition to adulthood
The Problem of Homelessness
Very difficult to solve
 .
 _______________– might state that drugs are
increasing, alcohol is increasing, youth choose
this life to avoid conforming to their parents
 _______________– decline in stable
employment reducing income and rising
affordable housing. Illustrates a growing gap
between the rich & the poor
 Short term solution relies on governmental &
non-profit organizations to alleviate immediate
needs of the homeless, especially for youth so
that they can become self-reliant
.
 Lack of income or affordable housing is
forcing thousands of Canadians into
homelessness. Add to this job loss and
the numbers are sure to increase.
Statistics Canada reports that 1.45
million Canadians want to work, but
cannot find a job.

.
 Factors such as unemployment, mental
and physical health, and addictions to
drugs or alcohol can prevent some
individuals from maintaining a permanent
resident.
