Number of Youth Served
Time Spent on Client Meetings
Data representing last fiscal year, April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024
The YWS Mental Health Program is a comprehensive mental health initiative designed to provide compassionate, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive care for homeless youth. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by young people experiencing homelessness, the program offers a range of evidence-based and creative therapeutic interventions to foster healing, resilience, and empowerment. Core services include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help youth address and reframe unhelpful thought patterns, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to develop emotional regulation and interpersonal skills, and Art Therapy to provide a safe, expressive outlet for processing trauma. Additionally, psychiatric care is available to address mental health concerns through medication management and holistic support. The program also facilitates referrals for family reunification services to support the restoration of family connections where safe and appropriate, and substance use counseling and treatment to address and reduce the impact of addiction. The program emphasizes inclusivity and cultural sensitivity, ensuring that all youth feel seen, heard, and valued in their journey toward wellness. By integrating these approaches, the program not only addresses immediate mental health needs but also empowers participants with tools for long-term stability and growth.
THE NEED
- Approximately 49% of youth struggling with homelessness struggle with their mental health
- 85.4% of youth experiencing homelessness in Canada face severe mental health challenges with 42% reporting at least one suicide attempt
- In Canada, only 1 out of 5 children receive appropriate mental health services.
- 70% of persons living with a mental illness see symptoms before age 18. Mental illness affects some 1.2 million of our children and youth. By age 25, that number rises to 7.5 million (about one in five Canadians).
- Over 40% of homeless youth experience extensive trauma prior to becoming homeless.
- One study observed drug abuse rates 10 times higher for homeless young males and 17 times higher among homeless young females than found in a national sample of non-homeless youth (Whitbeck et al., 2004).
- The rates of suicide attempts among homeless youth far exceed those of housed youth in Canada, with between 27% and 46% having attempted suicide (Frederick et al., 2011; Kidd, 2004; Kirst et al., 2011; McCarthy & Hagan, 1992)
- In a study completed by Embry 18% of youth with severe mental illness who were released from residential psychiatric treatment became homeless following discharge from services. (Embry, 2000)
- Rates of mental illness commonly found among homeless youth populations include, 31% presenting with major depression, 27% with bipolar disorder, 36% with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 40% with alcohol and drug abuse-related disorders (Chen et al., 2006; Merscham et al., 2009) and of those with mental illness, 60% have been found to present with multiple diagnoses (Slesnick & Prestopnick, 2005a)
- Studies with street-involved and homeless youth have found that up to 60% of youth have met diagnostic criteria for both substance use and mental health problems (Slesnick & Prestopnik, 2005)
- In one study, 43% of youth in one study had previous involvement with Children’s Aid, 39% had been assaulted in the past 12 months, 23% had been sexually abused in their lifetime, 84% had not completed high school, 91% used tobacco, 73% used Marijuana, 34% had used crack/cocaine,45% had self-harmed and 42% had received a previous mental health diagnosis. (Gaetz et. al, 2013)
- Once homeless, youth are at higher risk of targeted violence, incarceration, mental health concerns, substance abuse, suicide, and chronic homelessness.
SOURCES
Embry, L., Stoep, A., Evans, C., Ryan, K., & Pollock, A. (2000). Risk factors for homelessness in adolescents released from psychiatric residential treatment. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39(10), 1293-1299.
Chen, X., Thrane, L., Whitbeck, L., & Johnson, K. (2006). Mental disorders, comorbidity, and postrunaway arrests among homeless and runaway adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 16(3), 379–402.
Gaetz, Stephen; O’Grady, Bill; Buccieri, Kristy; Karabanow, Jeff; & Marsolais, Allyson (Eds.), Youth Homelessness in Canada: Implications for Policy and Practice. Toronto: Canadian Homelessness Research Network Press.
Kidd, S. (2013). Mental Health and Youth Homelessness: A Critical Review. In Gaetz, S., O’Grady, B., Buccieri, K., Karabanow, J., & Marsolais, A. (Eds.), Youth Homelessness in Canada: Implications for Policy and Practice (217-227). Toronto: Canadian Homelessness Research Network Press
Merscham, C., Van Leeuwen, J. M., & McGuire, M. (2009). Mental health and substance abuse indicators among homeless youth in Denver, Colorado. Child Welfare, 88(2), 93-110.
Slesnick, N., & Prestopnik, J. (2005a). Dual and multiple diagnosis among substance using runaway youth. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 31(1), 179-201.
“People don’t realize what many of [us] have been through and still go through. Our past was very difficult so people think that because we are sometimes physically separated from it, things are now easy. Homelessness is difficult. Having mental health support means that I can work through the trauma of my past as well as the trauma of homelessness. Imagine not being able to work through it. I’d be in crises everyday.”
“The psychologists from YWS have helped me a lot with getting over my trauma and my insecurities issues. Before I came to YWS I was very shy and insecure with myself and I had the habit of dismissing my emotions or running away from my problems. Where I’m from there’s a huge stigma to mental issues. They don’t understand that it can be cured too and that the brain is an organ like any other organ in our body, and it needs to be kept stable, just like how people check their lungs regularly, etc. Before talking to Brandy I didn’t understand what I was feeling or why I was feeling it and I felt embarrassed about it! After regular meetings with Brandy I got better and better and now I understand what my problem is and I’m able to work on it. I became a lot more confident than I was before and now I’m able to cope with my anxiety and even though I still have it… it’s not as bad as before. I hope this program continues and helps more and more youths because every youth in the shelter needs it… we are all damaged people who look for a place to be given the opportunity to heal …”
