Defining Post-secondary Student Homelessness
Definitions of Homelessness
From the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness.
Homelessness describes the situation of an individual, family or community without stable, permanent, appropriate housing, or the immediate prospect, means and ability of acquiring it. It is the result of systemic or societal barriers, a lackof affordable and appropriate housing, the individual/household’s financial, mental, cognitive, behavioural or physical challenges, and/or racism and discrimination. Most people do not choose to be homeless, and the experience is generally negative, unpleasant, unhealthy, unsafe, stressful and distressing. Homelessness describes a range of housing and shelter circumstances, with people being without any shelter at one end, and being insecurely housed at the other. That is, homelessness encompasses a range of physical living situations, organized here in a typology that includes:
1) Unsheltered, or absolutely homeless and living on the streets or in places no intended for human habitation;
2) Emergency Sheltered, including those staying in overnight shelters for people who are homeless, as well as shelters for those impacted by family violence;
3) Provisionally Accommodated, referring to those whose accommodation is temporary or lacks security of tenure, and finally,
4) At Risk of Homelessness, referring to people who are not homeless, but whose current economic and/or housing situation is precarious or does not meet public health and safety standards.
Indigenous Experience - All My Relations https://www.homelesshub.ca/IndigenousHomelessness
In the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, the definition of homelessness we use recognizes the over-representation of Indigenous Peoples (including First Nations, Inuit and Métis) among Canadian homeless populations resulting from colonization and cultural genocide. The Definition of Indigenous Homelessness in Canada (Thistle, 2017) highlights the necessity of considering the historical, experiential, and cultural perspectives of Indigenous Peoples, as well as the ongoing experience of colonization and racism as central to understanding and addressing Indigenous homelessness.
Youth Homelessness https://www.homelesshub.ca/resource/canadian-definition-youth-homelessness
“Youth homelessness” refers to the situation and experience of young people between the ages of 13 and 24 who are living independently of parents and/or caregivers, but do not have the means or ability to acquire a stable, safe or consistent residence.
Youth homelessness is a complex social issue because as a society we have failed to provide young people and their families with the necessary and adequate supports that will enable them to move forward with their lives in a safe and planned way. In addition to experiencing economic deprivation and a lack of secure housing, many young people who are homeless lack the personal experience of living independently and at the same time may be in the throes of significant developmental (social, physical, emotional and cognitive) changes. As a result, they may not have the resources, resilience, education, social supports or life skills necessary to foster a safe and nurturing transition to adulthood and independence. Few young people choose to be homeless, nor wish to be defined by their homelessness, and the experience is generally negative and stressful.
Post Secondary Student Homelessness - PSSH
PSSH refers to any of the above scenarios and experiences that are experienced by students once they enter the post-secondary sector. This includes, colleges, polytechnics, universities, and any other educational trajectories that follow K-12. Recently, we have been sensitized to the fact that some older students who are doing General Education Development (GED) are also outside of the typical K-12 experience and this is a subset we are looking at in other work. For our purposes, then when we speak of PSSH, we have three key categories in mind:
- Youth students of all origins between the age of 17-24 (73% of PS students)
- Older students (27% of all PS students)
- International students (400,521 persons in 2021) - it is worth noting that as many as 20,000 of these students may be experiencing precarity
Of these demographic cohorts, the experience of homelessness can be of any type discussed above. However, we remind the reader that in our work, most of the precarity is insecure housing (unaffordability) and hidden homelessness, whereas literal homelessness accounts for far less. We also want to stress that students, as with anyone experiencing housing precarity, may move through a number of types as defined above in their lifecourse as students.