• Health-Promoting Interventions for Homeless LGBTQ Youth in London Ontario - Participatory Action Research Proposal

For far too long, Canadian society has been experiencing a homelessness crisis – a social dilemma which has only continued to worsen in scope and severity in recent years. With estimates of 300,000 Canadians remaining underhoused each year, statistics also point to a significantly pronounced occurrence of homelessness among LGBTQ youth, who deal with multiple intersecting mechanisms of disadvantage. A brief literature review highlights prominent issues impacting the well-being of this community, such as lack of access to sufficient food and shelter, alongside increased rates of violence, unsafe sex, and drug use. These risk factors combine with a lack of traditional coping mechanisms such as family support or self-esteem to increase the vulnerability of queer youth experiencing homelessness.
One metropolitan city in Canada experiencing an especially pronounced homelessness crisis is London. And while this city is struggling more than other Canadian regions, policymakers are refusing complacency – recently enacting a Whole of Community System Response. This response includes a centralized hub purposefully designed to address disproportionate numbers of homeless youths – known as Youth Opportunities Unlimited.
In response, I present a research proposal centred around addressing barriers to health and wellbeing for Homeless LGBTQ youth in London, Canada. Employing a participatory action strategy designed to reduce bias by highlighting the voices of these youth, my proposal asks the primary research question: “How can the services of Youth Opportunities Unlimited be improved to better meet the needs of LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness in London?” By implementing the research strategy suggested in this paper, policymakers in London will be better informed as to how intersectional mechanisms of disadvantage contribute to the disproportionately high numbers of under-housed LGBTQ youth and will understand the social supports this community views as most equitable.