In rural communities, youth who are homeless often keep their situation a secret from teachers and neighbours, making the issue even more invisible: they sleep in cars, or couch surf with friends. When a young person experiences homelessness, they are more likely to drop out of school, which makes it harder to get a good job and financial independence. Many rural youth head to the city in search of services and jobs – leaving their social networks behind and forcing them to build brand new circles of support. 

Ottawa became the first city in Canada to declare a housing emergency in 2020. Even since then, inflation, the rising cost of living, and long-term effects of the pandemic, like poor mental health and increasing rates of gender-based violence, have made housing affordability even more dire.