It Takes a Whole Community: A Pragmatic, Strength-based Needs Assessment of Programs and Services Addressing Youth Homelessness in Bruce and Grey Counties, Ontario, Canada

This dissertation focuses on the problem of rural youth homelessness in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Traditionally, homelessness has been characterized as an urban problem, but over the last 15 years a growing amount of research has shown that, while urban environments are far more populous and homelessness far more visible in these areas, the problem is equally pervasive in rural and remote regions, however differently it might manifest itself. Only a handful of studies exist in Canada on rural youth homelessness, and currently there are none that explore solutions to this problem in a rural context.

The study presented here was conducted in Bruce and Grey Counties, Ontario, Canada, between 2017-19, and has been divided into two parts based on two different phases of research. The first part presents the results of a homeless enumeration consisting of a period prevalence count (PPC) conducted across both counties between April 23-27, 2018 in order to provide a demographic snapshot of the region's homeless population. This study was the first of its kind to be conducted in this region. The second part presents the results of a strength-based community needs assessment that was conducted following the enumeration to determine the extent and quality of programs and services addressing youth homelessness in the two counties. Using theoretical principles borrowed from American pragmatism, and a grounded approach to methodology, I argue that emergency housing for youth and mental health services should be the focus of systems change in the Counties, and offer ways that this can be done that build on the cultural assets possessed by rural communities.