Preventing, Reducing & Ending 2SLGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness

Dr. Abramovich has been addressing the issue of 2SLGBTQ+ youth homelessness for over 15 years. His Master’s, PhD, and Post-Doctoral research focused on understanding the experiences, needs, and barriers among 2SLGBTQ+ youth at risk of, and experiencing, homelessness in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Over the years, his research has resulted in solutions to complex population and public health issues, leading to life-saving programs and policies for some of the most marginalized young people, including the development of Canada’s first population-based housing programs for 2SLGBTQ+ youth (e.g., YMCA Sprott House, Blue Door INNclusion Program), municipal and provincial strategies and shelter standards that address mental health and homelessness among 2SLGBTQ+ youth (invited by the Government of Alberta to lead the development of Canada’s first provincial strategy addressing 2SLGBTQ+ youth homelessness), and mandatory 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion training for shelter staff across Canada (co-developed training curriculum for Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, City of Toronto).

In 2017, he co-edited the first academic book on 2SLGBTQ+ youth homelessness in
Canada and the U.S. – Abramovich, A. & Shelton, J. (Eds.). (2017). Where am I going to go? Intersectional approaches to ending LGBTQ2S youth homelessness in Canada & the U.S. Toronto, ON: Canadian Observatory on Homelessness Press.

Dr. Abramovich has worked with healthcare and housing services, and all levels of government in Canada to amend and develop programs and policies that meet the needs of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, including the development of 2SLGBTQ+ inclusive data collection tools and training for how to administer the questions for Canada’s Point-in-Time Count survey.