RESEARCH SUMMARY SERIES

Housing Stabilization for Youth: What Works Across Canadian Communities

Sean Kidd, PhD, C.Psych.
Senior Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH);
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto

Chris Mushquash, PhD, C.Psych.
Professor, Department of Psychology, Lakehead University;
Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction

What is this research about?

Sustaining housing after exiting homelessness remains one of the most difficult challenges for youth. While emergency responses have been widely studied, there is limited research on what helps young people stay housed in the long term. This national project explored what effective tertiary prevention looks like and interventions that support youth after they’ve left homelessness. 

Through in-depth case studies with organizations across Canada, the research team examined how different service models, including Indigenous-led and general approaches, support housing stabilization. The project aimed to identify common principles, challenges, and promising practices to guide future policy, program design, and funding. 

What did the researchers do?

The research team conducted nine intensive case studies with leading housing stabilization programs, five general and four Indigenous-led, identified through sector-wide networks like the National Learning Community. The general case studies were led by researchers based in Toronto, while the Indigenous-focused sites were led by Indigenous researchers and collaborators based in Thunder Bay.

Over six years, the team engaged frontline staff, youth with lived experience, and community partners through interviews, observations, document reviews, and iterative analysis. The pandemic presented significant challenges related to data collection, especially in Indigenous communities, but extensions and adaptive strategies allowed for the successful completion of this work. Knowledge mobilization included peer-reviewed publications, national presentations, and individualized feedback to participating agencies.

What did the researchers find?

Funding

2019-2020 Open Call

Research Focus

Sustaining Successful Exits from Homelessness

Location

Thunder Bay, Ontario

Across diverse settings and populations, the study uncovered a set of shared principles for successful housing stabilization:

  1. Tailored supports are key. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Programs that flexibly respond to individual needs, particularly mental health, employment, and education, were more successful in helping youth stay housed.
  2. Community partnerships strengthen outcomes. Cross-sector collaboration with healthcare, cultural services, and housing providers increased access and continuity of care.
  3. Relationships matter. Consistent, trusting relationships between youth and service providers played a central role in maintaining housing and promoting well-being.
  4. Indigenous youth require culturally grounded approaches. While many program needs overlapped, Indigenous youth emphasized the importance of cultural safety, land-based healing, and identity-affirming support.
  5. System fragmentation creates barriers. Youth often fall through the cracks when services are siloed or cut off too early, especially at age-based transitions like 18 or 21.
  6. Stabilization is more than housing. Long-term success depends on youth feeling connected, safe, and respected, not just having a place to stay. 

These findings highlight that youth housing stabilization is not just a logistical challenge but a deeply relational and systemic one, requiring flexible, culturally responsive, and coordinated supports that extend beyond short-term shelter solutions. 

How can you use this research?

This research offers valuable insights for program developers, funders, service providers, and policymakers. It highlights the need for tertiary prevention models that go beyond short-term solutions and instead focus on long-term stability and belonging. Stakeholders can use the findings to: 

  • Design flexible, youth-centred services that adapt to changing needs over time. 
  • Strengthen partnerships between housing providers, mental health supports, cultural services, and community agencies. 
  • Invest in culturally grounded programs that affirm Indigenous youth identities. 
  • Advocate for policy changes that extend service eligibility beyond arbitrary age limits. 
  • Use emerging best practices to create national guidelines for housing stabilization. 

This study clarifies that stabilization is a critical and under-resourced phase in responding to youth homelessness. It urges a shift from crisis-oriented responses to sustained investments that support youth in building stable, meaningful lives beyond homelessness