Please visit our website for

resources, such as listings of

shelters and community services,
journal articles and important
statistics concerning youth with
mental illness experiencing
homelessness.

Figure 3. Adapted from "11/52 Vulnerability" by T.

Page, March 14, 2015, Flickr. Retrieved March 17,
2015 from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/trishp97/1619874638
4. Copyright 2015 by T. Page.

Youth with
Mental Illness
Experiencing
Homelessness
Supporting Our Future
One Kid At A Time

Figure 2. Adapted from "homeless" by M. O'Rourke,

April 26, 2011, Flickr. Retrieved March 13, 2015
from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/markorourkephotogra
phy/5669658122. Copyright 2011 by M. O'Rourke.

AADWCYWS
aadwcyws.weebly.com

AADWCYWS
aad wc y ws . we eb l y.co m

Our Mission
This website features information to
users about the importance of
supporting youth who experience mental
illness and homelessness.
Youth in Toronto often experience
homelessness and mental health
simultaneously. There are limited
resources for these youth and our
purpose is to raise awareness to the
community about these struggles, create
outreach for youth currently
experiencing mental health and
homelessness and advocate for greater
services in the Greater Toronto Area
around this overlooked and highly
marginalized population.

Statistics

About Us

In a four year study was conducted in the city of

Toronto in August 18, 2009 for the purpose of
discovering experiences of discrimination among
individuals with mental illness who are suffering
homelessness. 231 participants were interviewed and
the results are as followed:

We are a group of third year Child and Youth

Worker students at George Brown. Many of us
have had the opportunity to work with youth
with mental illness, living with homelessness
and we feel that this is a population greatly
ignored by society, and often overlooked when
examining/discussing the topic of people living
with homelessness. We are committed to
advocating for further services and support
directed towards this marginalized population
and to increase the quality of said services and
support.

28.6% are under the age of 30, 22.9% are between

age 30 to 39, and 48.4% are older than the age of 40.
45% did not complete high school, 18.6% completed
high school, and 36.4% have some college or
university level education.
Of the participants, 56.2% have experienced
homelessness for less than three years, while 43.8%
has been experiencing homelessness more than 3
years.
35.1% has current diagnosed psychotic disorder.
61.5 % expressed they received discrimination due
to homelessness, 50.6% expressed it was due to
ethnicity, 43.7% expressed it was due to mental
illness and/or drug use.
Zerger, S., Bacon, S., Corneau, S., Skosireva, A.,
McKenzie, K., Gapka, S., & ... Stergiopoulos, V. (2014).
Differential experiences of discrimination among
ethnoracially diverse persons experiencing mental illness
and homelessness. BMC Psychiatry, 14(1), 1-21.
doi:10.1186/s12888-014-0353-1

Figure 1. Adapted from "self portrait," by M. Dollinger,

October 23, 2007, Flickr. Retrieved March 13, 2015 from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/konstantine/1698469001.
Copyright 2007 by M. Dollinger.