In rural communities, youth who are homeless often keep their situation a secret from teachers and neighbours, making the issue even more invisible: they sleep in cars, or couch surf with friends. When a young person experiences homelessness, they are more likely to drop out of school, which makes it harder to get a good job and gain financial independence. Many rural youth head to the city in search of services and jobs— leaving their social networks behind and forcing them to build brand new circles of support. 

Ottawa became the first city in Canada to declare a housing emergency in 2020. Even since then, inflation, the rising cost of living, and long-term effects of the pandemic, like poor mental health and increasing rates of gender-based violence, have made housing affordability even more dire.