Understand
the pathways.
Read the published BC research on childhood service-use patterns associated with later youth homelessness.
Look across systems to understand where prevention efforts could begin earlier.
OUR WORKRESEARCH IN FOCUS / YOUTH HOMELESSNESS
More connected.
More possibilities.
Building Youth Homelessness
Data Collaboration
How can research and responsible data collaboration help services work better together for young people?
FOCUS
Youth homelessness
& prevention
APPROACH
Research & community
data collaboration
CONTEXT
British Columbia
& Calgary, Alberta
EXPLORE
Reports & learning01 / THE CHALLENGE
A young person’s story
doesn’t stop at
an organization’s door.
Young people experiencing homelessness can move between many services. When those services work separately, the same story and information may be requested again and again.
PolicyWise’s project explores how a better understanding of service pathways, alongside responsible collaboration, can support more connected care and earlier opportunities to help.
02 / TWO CONNECTED LINES OF INQUIRY
Understand
Learn through
collaboration.
Explore the completed collaboration pilot with two community agencies in Calgary and its published learning.
Explore the practical conditions for responsible information sharing and more coordinated access to support.
THE PUBLISHED LEARNING
Two settings.
Read each in context.
A concise introduction to the evidence, with the original reports one step away.
BRITISH COLUMBIA / FINAL REPORT · MARCH 2026
Earlier experiences.
Later service pathways.
- Method & context
- Linked administrative data from BC’s Data Innovation Program examines experiences at ages 13–18 and homelessness at ages 19–27 during 2019–2022.
- What the report describes
- Greater childhood involvement across systems was associated with later homelessness. The findings support discussion of earlier, coordinated prevention.
- Read with care
- The measure does not capture every experience of homelessness, including rough sleeping. These associations do not establish causation or predict an individual’s future.
CALGARY / COMMUNITY REPORT · MARCH 2026
Shared understanding.
Practical collaboration.
- Method & context
- A community pilot with Trellis Society and The Alex explored referral pathways, staff relationships and responsible information sharing.
- What partners reported
- Stronger working relationships, better understanding of each other’s programs and clearer referral pathways.
- Read with care
- This is contextual, qualitative learning from a small collaboration. It does not demonstrate a measured reduction in homelessness or establish results for other communities.
Summaries drawn from PolicyWise’s published reports, reviewed 13 September 2026. The BC report identifies further youth/community engagement and an academic manuscript as forthcoming. Read the sources for current status and full interpretation.
BEHIND THE DATA-SHARING REPORT
Look widely.
Listen closely.
An environmental scan and interviews explored how organizations approach collaborative data use. These are emerging insights from a small sample, shaped by the contexts of the people involved.
Read the methods & findings- Qualifying organizational examples reviewed
- 37
- Interviews with people doing the work
- 9
- Representatives who took part in interviews
- 13
03 / RESPONSIBLE COLLABORATION
Connection
takes care.
The project’s data-sharing report identifies five considerations for organizations beginning this work.
- Be clear about purpose and intention.
- Identify and address risk early.
- Keep the person at the centre.
- Understand the capacity available.
- Plan for work that can be sustained.
These are starting points for a conversation shaped by each community’s context.
INSIDE THE CALGARY PILOT
Start with people.
Build the connection.
PolicyWise, Trellis Society, and The Alex explored better service access together. The March 2026 community report follows the collaboration from relationships to practical changes.
- 01
Understand each other.
Map referrals, consent, and information systems. Build trust before choosing solutions.
- 02
Find the friction.
Use a client journey map and frontline perspectives to identify barriers and priorities.
- 03
Connect the work.
Bring staff together through program visits and shared learning to explore warmer handoffs.
WHERE THE PILOT TOOK SHAPE
Two programs.
A shared school community.
All in for YouthTrellis Society
Youth Health BusThe Alex
What the partners reported: stronger working relationships, shared program understanding, and clearer referral pathways. These are qualitative findings about how the partners worked together.
Read the community report04 / TAKE THE LEARNING FURTHER
PUBLISHED PROJECT RESOURCESRead. Reflect.
Put it into practice.
BC FINAL REPORT / MARCH 2026
BC Youth Homelessness Prevention Project
Linked-data research into childhood experiences, service use and youth homelessness in British Columbia.
Read the BC final reportREPORT / JANUARY 2026
How to Build a Collaborative Approach to Data Sharing
Five considerations for collaborative data use in the social sector.
Read the reportCOMMUNITY REPORT / MARCH 2026
Toward Preventing Youth Homelessness
Learning from a collaboration pilot exploring more coordinated service access.
Explore the learningWEBINAR / FEBRUARY 2026
Building Data Infrastructure Needed to Prevent Youth Homelessness
Perspectives from the project teams working in British Columbia and Calgary.
Watch the webinarCOLLABORATION
PolicyWise, Trellis Society, The Alex, and Dr. Carla Hilario at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan.
SOURCE & PROJECT DETAILS
View the official project overview