Alex CookEmily Berg, a PhD student of public health at the University of Alberta, led a study that found student homelessness to be a prevalent issue in Alberta and across Canada.
The study took place across six different institutions in Canada, according to Berg, with the U of A serving as a large source of data and pool of participants.
Alongside homelessness, the study found that many students struggled with mental health, financial insecurity, and food insecurity.
Berg explained that homelessness is just one layer of the issue. Supports are not as accessible as they should be. A large barrier is that students are unaware of the supports available to them on campus.
The university has services such as the Campus Food Bank and Safe House, an emergency housing program. However, they remain futile if students in need do not know about them, or struggle to get past red tape.
Having to talk to multiple people before receiving financial, housing, or mental health support makes the process difficult and discourages students from seeking help. Especially when they need to re-tell their story multiple times to each person through the process.
Feelings of shame and stigma act as another barrier. Students are less willing to seek out help when they fear being associated with the label of “homeless.” Many actively hide their situation from others out of embarrassment, which only worsens mental health.
“You don’t think that students around you are struggling with homelessness,” said Berg.
She explained that homelessness encompasses more than just literally sleeping out on the streets. Also included in the definition are sleeping in 24-hour libraries and couch surfing.
“Domestic students are about 60 per cent of the sample that was experiencing homelessness,” Berg explained. Marginalized groups are also more at risk of student homelessness.
What can universities do to help?
The study released a toolkit with the intent of being adapted by universities and organizations to help combat student homelessness.
Firstly, it aims to concretely assess the problem by seeing how many students on campus are struggling. This can be done through conducting polls or surveys. Broader access to mental health services is another priority, along with staff training.
Many faculty and staff members admitted to their minimal knowledge of support for students, according to Berg. Even if a student confided in a staff member and asked for help, they would frequently not know where to direct them. Often resulting in the student giving up entirely in seeking assistance.
The largest aspect of the toolkit is housing. This means providing more emergency housing or subsidized housing to help students who cannot afford the full costs.
Increasing resources is one thing the U of A can do to help students. She explained that there are too few psychologists available to support the large student population.
The university could also try to build connections with community organizations such as Homeward Trust or youth shelters, Berg said.
So far, the funding for Safe House has increased; however, external factors such as the cost of food and tuition continue to contribute to financial insecurity.
“There are supports, but you have to be willing to take the first step,” she added.
