As mentioned in the Covenant House Toronto and Vancouver Overview section many of the youth involved in the two agencies have experienced extensive trauma, which in many cases led to their homelessness. Almost 3/4 have fled physical, emotional and/or sexual abuse or been kicked out of their home, about half have mental health or addictions issues and about 1/3 have been engaged in sex trade work. Homeless youth also experience a high level of violence – physical and sexual – during their homelessness. Additionally, a number of homeless youth have been through the child welfare and/or corrections systems. Even when someone has not directly had a traumatic background, research is emerging that shows the experience of homelessness itself can be considered traumatic.

All of these experiences mean that staff and volunteers working with this population need to develop and implement trauma-informed services to provide the best support possible for their clients. According to SAMHSA “A program, organization, or system that is trauma-informed realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for healing; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in staff, clients, and others involved with the system; and responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, practices, and settings”.

“At ROP, and at Covenant House in general, we realize that the young people that are coming to our door have often times histories and experienced journeys that they’ve experienced some trauma. The reality of having to experience homelessness or under-housing, in and of itself, is a traumatic experience. I think in really basic form we try to exercise being trauma-informed in realizing that the people we are blessed to interact with might have some experiences with trauma. That awareness, in and of itself, I think grants the opportunity for us to pause [and] to consider the person that we’re sharing space with is bringing a lot to the table. That this step that they’re taking to share a space with us is huge, and is significant, and we need to honour and work from that place. The behaviours that we might see are grounded in a really, really positive and effective coping from what they’ve experienced. So just appreciating that.” — Dillon Dodson, Team Leader, Covenant House Toronto

Like Motivational Interviewing, a key component of trauma-informed services is to “meet people where they are at.”  It also involves recognizing that often the very work aimed at helping people tends to re-traumatize them. Creating a case management system that avoids someone having to continually tell their story is helpful. Providing a space that is structured and secure yet flexible, allowing for input from the affected individual, providing opportunities for the development of safe and trusting relationships and recognizing that “one-size-does-not-fit-all” are keys to developing trauma-informed services.

Both CHT and CHV provide many opportunities for youth to have input into their individual case plan (including full development of the plan in later steps at CHV), as well as the workings of the house. CHT provides opportunities for residents to hold their own meetings, independent of staff, that provides an open forum for youth to share concerns without feeling restricted because of the presence of staff. 

Homeless Hub Thoughts:

While some of these theories may sound very academic and confusing, the reality is that most youth-serving agencies and non-profits tend to use many of them in day-to-day operations, even if they did not know what they were called. Considering the theoretical underpinnings in developing your program will help you justify certain activities and evaluation methods to funders. 

If you have an existing program and do not know what theories are in place, consider partnering with a local university or researcher. Have them observe your case management practice and examine your program and evaluation methods. They will likely be able to point out several theories that you are already using.

The theories you need to develop will be informed by your clientele and their presenting needs. Your specific program may also influence this. We feel that trauma-informed care, resiliency theory and motivational interviewing are all key when developing a theoretical approach that honours the knowledge and experience of the youth that you serve.