Many people associate having no stable, permanent home with adults, but more shelters are taking in families with children, says YWCA Niagara Region’s executive director.

“We don’t really talk about children’s experiences with homelessness. Not only is this a thing — it’s actually increasing,” said Elisabeth Zimmermann.

Yet, said Zimmermann, there’s insufficient research on how this impacts children — something that prompted the YWCA Niagara Region to collaborate on an interactive research project with Brock University’s Child and Youth Studies program.

Their 16-page report, titled “Children’s Experiences of Homelessness in Shelter Living” and released during a launch event at the university on March 31, says this “underexplored area of research” comes as there are “high levels of homelessness in the Niagara Region.”

It also addresses the human costs of children living in shelters.

‘Experiences like these can leave a mark’

For the project, which ran from July 2023 to June 2024, Brock researchers connected with 24 residents aged five to 14 who were in an after-school program at one of the YWCA’s shelters. The research involved gradually building relationships with each child, through arts-based and other activities and games.

In the report, animal pseudonyms were used to maintain the privacy of the 24 children.

When asked about their experiences while living with their families in various shelters, Butterfly, for example, said they witnessed an argument among other residents who were “swearing and threatening to kill” the other; Eagle saw police intervene at a shelter because of a resident who had overdosed.

“Experiences like these can leave a mark and the kids learned to be alert,” the report said.

Some children also reported experiences with bullying, food insecurity, instability, and disruption from having to live in cars, hotel hopping and changing schools.

“Children showed sadness about losing things that bring them joy such as their clothes and toys which were often sold or placed in storage,” said Christine Tardif-Williams, a Brock professor and co-researcher of the study.

Shelters running at overcapacity

Since 2018, Zimmermann has noticed families are increasingly using the YWCA’s shelters, which often run at overcapacity, and struggling to keep up with rising housing prices while on social assistance.

According to Niagara Region’s Homelessness Point-in-Time Count, in 2024, 101 children under age 15 were staying in places that may have included emergency or domestic violence shelters, transitional housing, in an unsheltered location like a public space or vehicle, or in a motel or temporary station. That total accounts for 14 per cent of the region’s population who were in those living situations.

Being without a stable residence isn’t just a regional issue.

In Ontario in 2025, about 20,000 children were without homes, according to a report by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association and the Northern Ontario Service Deliverers Association.

The National Shelter 2024 Study found 4.4 per cent of children under 16 reported they had to use emergency shelters.

The YWCA-Brock report cites a handful of other studies on the challenges and risks faced by “children who are homeless with their families.” Those challenges — which include precarity and stigma, il| health, difficulties with school and disconnection from community — can bе particularly acute for those who are part of an already marginalized community, it says.

Staff who worked at the YWCA shelter in Niagara saw benefits of its after-school program, including providing children “a sense of normalcy and a sense of community in a situation of uncertainty” and allowing them “to befriend peers facing similar situations, play sports and enjoy computer time.” It also provided homework help and opportunities to do science experiments outside school hours, helping children who experienced academic setbacks because of housing instability.

“Shelters that house children should provide formalized and consistent programming,” said Tardif-Williams.

Frederick Oppong, a co-researcher and PhD student in Brock’s Child and Youth Studies, said offering programs and activities to address stigma could also help children feel supported.

However, the report also found the shelter was struggling to keep up the program’s schedule due to lack of funding and staff as, Zimmermann says, it is entirely funded by a private donor.

Researchers say they’re now working on the next stage of the project, interviewing parents facing precarious living situations.