Homelessness is an unsolved issue occurring day to day, worldwide. What the main focus of this essay will be are the homeless youth in Canada dealing with drug addiction and substance use. Homelessness is a rising problem here in Canada, there are 10,000 homeless youth on the street, a guaranteed 2000 on any given night. There are so many different aspects you have to deal with along being homeless, not only are they living life on the streets without a shelter, food or money, but the challenges they face daily just adds to it. They face physical abuse, verbal abuse, police brutality, weather changes, starvation, stress, addictions, mental illness, and other various problems. …show more content…
Homeless youth are always dealing with poor nutrition, victimization, substance use, and abuse. Unfortunately the services provided are very limited and cannot help a huge chunk of the homeless youth. Homeless youth experience more substance abuse and drug addiction than non-homeless youth, this causes them to be mentally unstable and unable to be a functioning member of society. There are many temporary services provided such as shelters, drop-ins, meal programs, literacy improvements, and counselling programs; although these are available and there to help the youth, they are all flawed in their own ways.
What the government does not take into consideration is the long term solutions to put youth in poverty to an end. Solutions such as long term housing, harm reduction services, substance youth treatment and mental health services. These solutions are offered but are uncoordinated or unattractive to the homeless youth. The lack of these efficient service contribute to chronic