A new report warns New Brunswick is missing key opportunities to prevent youth homelessness before young people lose stable housing.
The Centre for Youth Care published a report indicating that provincial systems often intervene only after a crisis has already occurred.
Executive director Karen Cummings explained that many youth must become homeless before they qualify for help.
“The system is really built to be reactive rather than being proactive,” Cummings said.
“Very little funding, especially multi‑year funding, is invested in intervention and prevention work.
We know that early intervention works, not just in responding to homelessness, but in responding to most crises.”
Frontline agencies see early warning signs
Cummings noted that frontline agencies hear directly from youth with lived experience and often see early signs of housing insecurity.
Cummings also stated that frontline agencies hear directly from youth with lived experience and can respond quickly to what is happening on the ground.
She added that those agencies need stable, long‑term funding to act earlier and more effectively
One major pressure point, she explained, is the age of 19, when many young people “age out” of child‑welfare supports.
“When they turned 19, they weren’t eligible for a number of services and supports,” she said.
“That often left youth feeling alone and isolated, not knowing where to turn.”
Cummings pointed to how even small financial setbacks can push youth into crisis.
“Being short by $150 on your rent is something that should be able to be solved easily and quickly,” she said.
“But they don’t know where to turn. They don’t know how to access the supports that are available. That is a system failure.”
She highlighted several programs that have shown results, including Housing First and case-management supports, but noted that year-to-year funding makes it difficult to retain staff or plan long-term.
“This work can’t be achieved in six months,” she said. “But it can certainly be achieved in the next three to five years.”
Funding gaps and missed opportunities
Cummings pointed to rent supplements as one immediate step the government could take.
“If there are 40 youth in a community experiencing housing insecurity, the number of rent supplements should be 40,” she said.
“To me, that would be transformational.”
She added that discretionary funding for frontline agencies would allow them to respond quickly to emerging needs.
“We are ready to act today,” she said. “We are ready to scale up today.”
“The only thing that’s missing is that investment from the government.”
The report also highlights long wait times for mental health care and rigid eligibility rules.
Cummings explained that delays can deepen the harm youth experience.
“Every day that passes, that lack of trust is compounded,” she said.
“These delays do not have to exist. There are solutions.”
Cummings pointed to local data showing the scale of the issue.
In the Saint John region, she noted that 115 youth between 16 and 26 experienced homelessness last year, including 60 who were homeless for the first time.
“That’s 60 missed opportunities at prevention,” she said.
Provincially, she said that more than 440 youth experienced homelessness in 2025, including 225 who were new to homelessness.
“That’s 225 system failures,” she said.
She added that the true number is likely higher because youth who couch‑surf or stay in unsafe situations are often not counted.
Broader impact and public role
Cummings also emphasized the broader impact on the province’s future.
“If our community does not have youth and families who are healthy, who are resilient, who are safe, we are not going to be able to meet the economic demands within our community,” she said.
“It has a ripple effect. It touches all of us whether we think it or not.”
She encouraged the public to help by reducing stigma and understanding that youth homelessness is not a personal failure.
“These youth didn’t choose that,” she said. “It’s not an issue of ‘get a job’ or ‘pull yourself up by the bootstraps.’ It was not a choice. It was a failure of the system.”
The Centre for Youth Care noted that improving access to housing, strengthening mental health supports, and ensuring that youth leaving care have stable places to live would help prevent crises.
The organization added that those steps would also keep more young people safely housed.
