Schools as Sites of Homelessness Prevention
Youth homelessness in Canada impacts a significant number of young people. More specific to our focus, populations of young people who are more likely to experience homelessness (e.g. youth with mental health issues, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, youth from care, and Indigenous youth) face significant barriers...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Saskatchewan
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Engaged Scholar Journal |
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| Online Access: | http://esj.usask.ca/index.php/esj/article/view/70872 |
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| _version_ | 1832590598549274624 |
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| author | Jayne Malenfant Naomi Nichols |
| author_facet | Jayne Malenfant Naomi Nichols |
| author_sort | Jayne Malenfant |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Youth homelessness in Canada impacts a significant number of young people. More specific to our focus, populations of young people who are more likely to experience homelessness (e.g. youth with mental health issues, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, youth from care, and Indigenous youth) face significant barriers to accessing safe, culturally appropriate, and supportive education, suggesting rights to housing and rights to education are intersecting equity issues. This article presents findings from a participatory research project led by members of Youth Action Research Revolution, carried out in Tio’tiá:ke/Montréal, Québec, Canada. Building from experiences young people shared, this article highlights aspects of the public education system that pose problems for youth who are precariously housed or homeless, namely, the application of one-size-fits-all approaches, barriers for students with mental health or learning disability diagnoses, and the lack of clear or actionable institutional mechanisms for students to access preventative support. Following this, we outline educational discourses, practices, and processes that constitute where something may have been done differently to prevent homelessness. We conclude with possible actions to support youth homelessness prevention in schools, including creating more flexible ways for children and families to access supports, resourcing “champion” teachers, and addressing the insidious biases and discrimination in the organization of school policies.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3e40a51c7c1a47899ba1339c503fcda8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2369-1190 2368-416X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | University of Saskatchewan |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Engaged Scholar Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-3e40a51c7c1a47899ba1339c503fcda82025-01-23T10:57:14ZengUniversity of SaskatchewanEngaged Scholar Journal2369-11902368-416X2025-01-0111110.15402/esj.v11i1.70872 Schools as Sites of Homelessness PreventionJayne Malenfant0Naomi Nichols1McGill UniversityTrent University Youth homelessness in Canada impacts a significant number of young people. More specific to our focus, populations of young people who are more likely to experience homelessness (e.g. youth with mental health issues, 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, youth from care, and Indigenous youth) face significant barriers to accessing safe, culturally appropriate, and supportive education, suggesting rights to housing and rights to education are intersecting equity issues. This article presents findings from a participatory research project led by members of Youth Action Research Revolution, carried out in Tio’tiá:ke/Montréal, Québec, Canada. Building from experiences young people shared, this article highlights aspects of the public education system that pose problems for youth who are precariously housed or homeless, namely, the application of one-size-fits-all approaches, barriers for students with mental health or learning disability diagnoses, and the lack of clear or actionable institutional mechanisms for students to access preventative support. Following this, we outline educational discourses, practices, and processes that constitute where something may have been done differently to prevent homelessness. We conclude with possible actions to support youth homelessness prevention in schools, including creating more flexible ways for children and families to access supports, resourcing “champion” teachers, and addressing the insidious biases and discrimination in the organization of school policies. http://esj.usask.ca/index.php/esj/article/view/70872community based participatory researchmental healtheducational disparitiesyouth homelessnessschoolshomelessness prevention |
| spellingShingle | Jayne Malenfant Naomi Nichols Schools as Sites of Homelessness Prevention Engaged Scholar Journal community based participatory research mental health educational disparities youth homelessness schools homelessness prevention |
| title | Schools as Sites of Homelessness Prevention |
| title_full | Schools as Sites of Homelessness Prevention |
| title_fullStr | Schools as Sites of Homelessness Prevention |
| title_full_unstemmed | Schools as Sites of Homelessness Prevention |
| title_short | Schools as Sites of Homelessness Prevention |
| title_sort | schools as sites of homelessness prevention |
| topic | community based participatory research mental health educational disparities youth homelessness schools homelessness prevention |
| url | http://esj.usask.ca/index.php/esj/article/view/70872 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jaynemalenfant schoolsassitesofhomelessnessprevention AT naominichols schoolsassitesofhomelessnessprevention |