In a research study I conducted in 2006, we did an interview with about 160 entrenched homeless people in the Niagara region. About 45% of that population identified that they were first homeless as teens, so we have very local research that shows this problem. Actually, part of the development of our program was that study back in 2006.
As for the biggest barrier, prevention takes time. That's probably one of the biggest barriers. If you're the mayor and you're getting all of those calls, it's hard for someone to stand up and say, “Well, we have a solution, but it's going to take five to 10 years to have effect.” That's the tough part about prevention: It's generational. It takes time before it takes effect, in which case you have to have your emergency shelter system running at the same speed as you're running your prevention. Because it's in a crisis moment and people tend to want to deliver crisis services, it's always hard to champion a prevention model that doesn't directly address the crisis.
However, we have found that our shelter diversion program is probably the best of the early-adoptive prevention programs, because we're currently seeing a 70% chance of diversion. Seventy per cent of young people who had never been in shelter before were able to divert to safe and appropriate housing, and if they have had experience with homelessness, we're still seeing a diversion rate of about 40%, for an overall diversion rate of about 53% to 59%.