Lakehead University joins study on post-secondary student homelessness
Previous research suggests tens of thousands of Canadian students experience homelessness, researcher says
Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont. is taking part in a study on student homelessness.
Through an online survey, researchers hope to gain a better understanding of just how many students are struggling without stable housing, said Rebecca Schiff, an associate professor of health sciences at Lakehead.
"We know just from anecdotal evidence that student homelessness at universities and colleges in Canada is a problem," she said, "but there's just not a lot that we know about what the extent of the problem is, or what needs to be done about it."
Lakehead is one of three schools taking part in the study. The University of Calgary is also involved, said Schiff, and the study is being led by Eric Weissman, a University of New Brunswick researcher who also has personal experience being homeless.
Previous research done by Weissman suggests that as many as 70,000 Canadian students might be homeless on any given day, Schiff said.
Homelessness takes many forms, she explained, ranging from sleeping on the streets, to couch surfing or relying on temporary accommodations.
"Students might be experiencing any of these forms of homelessness. We expect that probably, more likely, they're experiencing that hidden homelessness where they're coach surfing, going from place to place, but don't really have a secure, stable place to live."
The high cost of being a student — juggling the costs of education and the costs of living — is one thing that can make students vulnerable to homelessness, she said.
Schiff said the survey that students have been invited to take part in will be open for at least a month.