Homeless Youth

High levels of depression and suicidal thoughts have been discovered among homeless youth (Smart & Walsh, 1993). A Canadian study measuring issues that homeless youth faced actually found that about 25% of homeless youth struggled with thoughts of suicide (Smart & Walsh, 1993).

According to Smart & Walsh (1993):
     - self esteem, social support systems and uses of a hostel were related to depression in homeless youth
     - street youth scored as more depressed if their parents or guardians' drug use resulted in them moving out of their homes and into the street
    

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-Youth are one of the fastest growing homeless populations in Canada (Doroshenko et al, 2012).

- Homeless youth have a higher chance of facing issues related to malnutrition than the general Canadian population (Doroshenko et al, 2012)

- Homeless youth tend to use drugs (both legal and illegal) at higher percentages than non-homeless individuals of the same age (Doroshenko et al, 2012).

- 150,000 Canadian youth live on the streets daily (Doroshenko et al, 2012).

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