Deck 13: Street-Involved Youth in Canada

Question 1

Street-involved youth are also described as ________.

A) runaways
B) throwaways
C) teen parents
D) squeegee kids
E) All of the above

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Typologies, or classifications, of street-involved youth are based on all of the following except for ________.

A) intent of street involvement
B) time spent on the street
C) factors associated with street involvement
D) extent of involvement in street crime
E) whether there is a choice of returning home

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Street-involved youth experience decreased ________.

A) rights
B) opportunities
C) access to medical services
D) All of the above
E) Both a and b

Answer 3

E

Question 4

In recent years, ________ have played an increasing role in understanding street-involved youth.

A) family factors
B) structural factors
C) psychological factors
D) criminological theories
E) educational factors

Question 5

A significant proportion of street-involved youth identify that they initially left home as a result of ________.

A) family conflict
B) disruption
C) maltreatment
D) All of the above
E) Both a and c

Question 6

In 2006, the Enhanced Surveillance of Canadian Street Youth (E-SYS) project reported that between ________ per cent of street-involved youth left home because of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and/emotional abuse.

A) 2 and 8
B) 19 and 28
C) 34 and 42
D) 54 and 83

Question 7

"Children in the care of child welfare" is a general phrase used to refer to children and youth in ________.

A) foster care
B) group homes
C) youth detention centres
D) All of the above
E) Both a and b

Question 8

Worthington and MacLaurin et al. (2008) reported that ________ of street-involved youth surveyed in Calgary reported that their family had a history of child-welfare involvement.

A) 36 per cent
B) 44 per cent
C) 52 per cent
D) 62 per cent
E) 71 per cent

Question 9

For many youth, the initial experience of the street is characterized by ________.

A) excitement
B) freedom
C) new friendships
D) loneliness
E) adrenaline

Question 10

Many street-involved youth ________.

A) express no hope for their future
B) are chronically depressed and feel helpless
C) have no sense of spirituality or values
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 11

Substance use is primarily used by street-involved youth ________.

A) as a coping mechanism
B) to relieve boredom
C) to make friends
D) All of the above
E) Both a and b

Question 12

Common mental-health problems found in street-involved youth include ________.

A) psychosis
B) stress
C) depression
D) bipolar disorder
E) All of the above

Question 13

Research has found that the average number of times street-involved youth have sexual intercourse each week ranges from two to three times for casual sex, up to ________ times for paying sex.

A) eight
B) 11
C) 13
D) 16
E) 20

Question 14

Extensive work by Baron has shown how crime is related to several factors in the lives of street-involved youth. Which of the following is included among these factors?

A) Unemployment
B) High self-esteem
C) Parental abuse
D) All of the above
E) Both a and b

Question 15

Which of the following is common among street-involved youth?

A) Being a victim of robbery, violence, or theft
B) Drug and alcohol use
C) Gang activity
D) All of the above
E) Both b and c

Question 16

Street-involved youth consistently report that selling ________ is a means of earning money while on the streets.

A) drugs
B) stolen goods
C) sex
D) guns
E) All of the above

Question 17

Studies advocate a ________ model that allows youth to play a significant role in developing and evaluating programs and in which the agencies continue to be flexible in adapting to the changing needs of street-involved youth.

A) life-cycle
B) prohibition
C) psycho-education
D) youth-centric programming
E) risk-need-responsivity

Question 18

Services for street-involved youth and youth homelessness in Canada are focusing on ________.

A) responding to crises and emergencies
B) prevention services to reduce the numbers of youth on the streets
C) supportive transitions and accommodations in housing stability
D) All of the above
E) Both b and c

Question 19

Understanding the experience of street-involved youth is important because ________.

A) it allows us to understand risks associated and to meet their needs at all stages of involvement in the street
B) it allows us to connect youth back with family and other support systems
C) allows us to identify where and when risks occur, which helps prevent further street involvement
D) it allows us to teach these youth skills related to survival, safety and health
E) the youth on the streets have similar commonalities with homeless adults

Question 20

In terms of homelessness, temporarily disconnected youth are generally ________.

A) younger
B) have reasonable chances to maintain relationships with family and school
C) make up the majority of the homeless youth population
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 21

In terms of homelessness, unstably housed youth are generally ________.

A) frequently disengaged from school
B) frequently disengaged from employment
C) have some opportunity for family intervention
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 22

In terms of homelessness, chronically disconnected youth are generally ________.

A) the smallest sector of youth homelessness
B) have the greatest needs of all homeless youth
C) often have critical needs relating to mental health and addictions
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 23

A recent study of Calgary homeless youth revealed that youth represent approximately ________ per cent of the total individuals reported as homeless.

A) 5
B) 12
C) 18
D) 26
E) 38

Question 24

Which of the following do studies show is the hardest for street youth to attain?

A) Clothing
B) Food
C) Shelter
D) Money
E) Laundry facilities

Question 25

Studies show that between ________ per cent of homeless youth report neglect, physical violence and/or sexual violence prior to becoming homeless.

A) 20 and 30
B) 30 and 40
C) 50 and 60
D) 60 and 70
E) 80 and 90

Question 26

Street-involved youth living on the streets of major Canadian urban centres is a recent phenomenon.

Question 27

The plight of street-involved youth arguably continues to deteriorate in Canada.

Question 28

Street-involved youth are generally defined as individuals who are 21 years of age or younger who are either runaway, homeless, or underhoused.

Question 29

Cross-sectional data on youth using shelters and other service agencies captures the fluidity and diversity of the street-involved youth population.

Question 30

The majority of street-involved youth report moving to large Canadian cities and spending time in different cities.

Question 31

An ecological perspective has frequently been used as a theoretical framework for understandng the runaway and homeless phenomenon.

Question 32

It has been estimated that the mortality rate for street-involved youth is about 20 times the expected rate for the general youth population.

Question 33

It has been estimated that the rate of victimization on the street for minority groups like gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth is nearly double that of other street-involved youth.

Question 34

Once youth make the transition from home to the street, most abandon their ties to the past.

Question 35

Research has found that substance use among street-involved youth is not only common but also tends to be extreme.

Question 36

A recent study of homeless Toronto squeegee kids suggests that many are able to make an adequate wage from cleaning car windshields.

Question 37

Research has found that most street-involved youth felt less depressed and stressed on the street than when they were living at home.

Question 38

Research has found that the average age at first intercourse for street-involved youth is 14 years old.

Question 39

Pregnancy is common among street-involved youth.

Question 40

Research determined that more than half of street-involved youth were either suspended or expelled from school.

Question 41

Street-involved youth consistently report that selling drugs is a means of earning money while on the streets.

Question 42

A small proportion of street-involved youth are involved in some form of gang activity while on the street.

Question 43

A survey of Calgary street-involved youth found that 69 per cent of respondents reported that they had been charged with a crime at some point in their life.

Question 44

The Safe Streets Act enacted in Ontario in 2000 regulated the practice of squeegee cleaning so that street-involved youth could earn a legal income.

Question 45

Despite their challenging circumstances, street-involved youth take advantage of available services in all circumstances.

Question 46

It is often family dynamics rather than drugs and alcohol that brings young people to the streets.

Question 47

A group of homeless teenagers on Granville recently told The Vancouver Sun they would never smoke anything more harmful than marijuana because becoming addicted to a stronger drug often means 'the drugs start doing you, you don't do the drugs'.

Question 48

Estimates range from 60 to 80 per cent of homeless youth are LGBTQ.

Question 49

What are some of the risks associated with street life?

Question 50

Does the term street-involved youth refer only to youth who have spent a significant amount of time living on the street?

Question 51

Why is it difficult to estimate the numbers of street-involved youth in Canada?

Question 52

What are the questions raised by the range of estimates of street-involved youth in Canada and the United States?

Question 53

What are the issues involved in using data on the number of youth who use shelters to base predictions of the uncounted street-involved population?

Question 54

What is the basic viewpoint underlying the ecological approach to understanding the pathways toward youth street involvement?

Question 55

What do studies indicate about rates of maltreatment among youth who later turned to the streets?

Question 56

What do studies indicate about the frequency of maltreatment among youth who later turned to the streets?

Question 57

What evidence suggests that a disproportionate number of youth who "age out" of the child welfare system end up on the streets?

Question 58

According to Auerswald and Eyre's (2002) study, how do youth become acculturated to the street?

Question 59

What evidence is there that many street-involved youth still value their past relationships?

Question 60

What are the different ways in which street-involved youth show resilience?

Question 61

What are some of the reasons street-involved youth can be viewed as one of the most disenfranchised groups in our society?

Question 62

What are the risk factors associated with becoming pregnant while living on the street?

Question 63

How many street-involved youth participate in survival or obligatory sex? What are some of the reasons they participate?

Question 64

Why is education a serious concern for street-involved youth?

Question 65

What are some of the reasons that street-involved youth often have a prior poor record of attending school?

Question 66

Extensive work by Baron has shown how crime is related to several factors in the lives of street-involved youth. What are these factors and how do they work to increase the rise of crime involvement?

Question 67

What are the specific structural issues contributing to adult homelessness compared to youth homelessness?

Question 68

Discuss the specifics of the Street Youth Job Action (SYJA) program.

Question 69

What is the life-cycle model of youth street involvement? How can it been used to assist practitioners and researchers in understanding the specific risks associated with street life and with developing programs and services for street-involved youth?

Question 70

It has been argued that "the lens or perspective with which we view street-involved youth in Canada has a great impact on the way we respond to the needs of this population." Discuss this point drawing on relevant information provided in the chapter.

Question 71

It has been argued that "once youth make the transition from home to the street, they enter a new world with its own culture, norms, and rules." Discuss this point drawing on relevant information provided in the chapter.

Question 72

How is crime related to factors in the lives of street-involved youth?

Question 73

How do street-involved youth experience the street services and intervention strategies that are made available to them? What can be done to improve the effectiveness of these services and strategies?

Question 74

Describe the ecological approach to understanding the runaway and homeless youth phenomena based on Bronfenbrenner's theory.