Study calls on Canadian universities, government to address homelessness among students

A new study found many post-secondary students are dealing with some form of homelessness.

As roughly 28 per cent of Canadian post-secondary students face some form of homelessness, a study is calling on governments and universities to address the problem.

The study, conducted by researchers in Nova Scotia and Alberta, interviewed 65 students experiencing homelessness and 54 academic staff members at the Nova Scotia Community College, the University of New Brunswick, the University of Alberta, Red Deer Polytechnic, Lakehead University and the University of British Columbia.

“One effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been to expose a much larger number of Canadians to housing precarity, pushing the issue into prominence nationally and provincially,” the study reads. “The post-secondary sector is no exception to this, as housing is a fundamental need for the students, and students are the lifeblood of these institutions.

“Students had been presenting at their institutions showing the consequences of housing precarity and homelessness, like academic problems and financial stress, and it has taken a shift in perspective to see the underlying issues.”

Emily Berg, lead research associate with the study, said roughly 32 per cent of Nova Scotia students experience hidden homelessness.

“About 50 per cent of students out east were accessing the food bank while experiencing their homelessness,” Berg said. “It wasn’t just the roof over their head that they were worried about because they also had to worry about their academics.”

The study said financial issues are the main cause of student homelessness, but noted domestic violence or conflict is also a contributing factor. Nearly 20 per cent of respondents in the study said they were staying in unsafe conditions just to keep a roof over their heads.

“Post-secondary students experiencing homelessness commonly feel shame about their situation (77%), and many felt they needed to hide their living situation from others (71%),” the study reads. “Students described the stigma associated with the word ‘homeless’; this led many students to not identify as homeless until having the definition read to them.

“This shows that destigmatizing homelessness may be a precondition for providing support to those experiencing it.”

Berg will present the findings of the study at the Big Thinking Summit in Edmonton from June 9 to 11.

“Post-secondary institutions are seen in an elite academic way where everyone who goes there is privileged, but this isn’t the case,” Berg said in a news release. “Institutions today are the gateway to any sort of job, so students have to go to post-secondary institutions regardless of their economic status, even if they can’t afford to pay rent or eat.”

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Emma Convey