‘Youth Homelessness Research Report’ outlines the unique challenges of youth faced with homelessness in Penticton

Photo: Contributed

A youth-led youth homelessness research report being presented to Penticton city council on Tuesday emphasizes that 'things cannot continue the way they are,' finding a clear lack of housing and support.

Back in early 2020, the city applied for and was successful in receiving a grant from the Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC).

From there, the youth homelessness survey was approved to be submitted in Penticton's schools, where a quarter of the 264 youth who completed the survey revealed they had been homeless or faced housing insecurity before.

The reports from WRH consulting revealed they also conducted research with community organizations, local services, and provincial entities and projects to develop a profile of youth who are at-risk or homeless and estimates of their numbers.

Research on youth homelessness done within the province of BC and Canada was reviewed for contextual information relevant to Penticton’s information.

"Understanding the first hand, lived experience of youth in our community who have been or are homeless was considered vital information necessary to assuring the integrity of this project," the report reads, adding that the stories from youth have been highlighted throughout.

One person who shared her story in the report was asked what people reading this report should know in order to create opportunities for change for youth.

She said, “they could have helped me, but chose not to. Youth need safe places to live.”

Currently, Penticton has only two options for youth who are at risk of or homeless. Either staying with the South Okanagan Women in Need Society, which only has two emergency beds available which have been designated for youth woman or Compass House, which is limited to individuals over the age of 19.

From the report, it makes 10 recommendations / objectives for improvement, including:

1. Meaningfully engaging youth voice (decision making, development of solutions)
2. Creating and maintaining a strong, community leadership structure
3. Implementing effective prevention strategies
4. Creating a continuum of housing options for youth
5. Increasing intra-partner collaboration
6. Educating and enhancing awareness
7. Implementing evidence-based and trauma informed practices
8. Increasing access to a range of services and supports
9. Increasing support for families with at-risk youth
10. Using data and evaluation to inform our decisions

Council will review the data on Tuesday and decide whether to send a copy of the research to relevant federal and provincial ministries.