No one chooses to be homeless. The reasons that people become homeless are complex and are often caused by circumstances beyond their control. The most basic cause is poverty, resulting from a family crisis, a loss of employment or income, and/or basic medical or mental health challenges.

Some of the stark realities of being homeless are:

• The continuous search for shelter
• Inadequate food, nutrition and clothing
• Victimization, sexual harassment and physical assault
• Mental health and/or substance abuse problems
• Inadequate medical and social services
• Negative or low self-esteem
• Social isolation
• Poor to no prospects for employment
• No access to affordable permanent housing

The facts:

• Joanne’s House has provided housing to over 400 youth since 2017
• The majority of youth that accesses the shelter are from Oshawa and Ajax
• Most of our residents identify as male
• The average age of our residents is nineteen
• The number one reason they give is “family breakdown”