Grant: DRA : Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program (CGRS D)

The opioid epidemic poses an urgent health risk to the lives of Canadians, particularly youth aged 18 to 24. Among Canadian youth experiencing homelessness (YEH), this public health crisis is even more urgent, where one in eight opioid-related deaths occur in this group. One of the most effective treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) is opioid agonist therapy (OAT). Despite the established effectiveness of these treatments, its uptake among YEH is poor, and there is very little research as to why. In December 2024, the Ontario government passed the Community Care and Recovery Act, shifting the province's approach to the drug crisis from harm reduction to recovery. This new approach includes the creation of Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs, which are supposed to provide wraparound supports for people who use drugs. However, these hubs are still in their infancy, and none are specifically designed for youth. The proposed study will address the knowledge gap about what YEH think about OAT and how that influences their engagement in treatment. Two groups of YEH in Hamilton, Ontario will be interviewed-one group accessing care through a traditional OAT clinic (The Hamilton Clinic), and the other through the city's new HART Hub (Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre). Staff at both sites will also be interviewed to provide context around service delivery. This study will work in collaboration with an advisory panel of community activists and YEH to ensure knowledge developed is relevant, equitable, and addresses community priorities. The goal of this study is centre the voices of YEH so that health services and policies can be more youth-centered and effective. As Ontario shifts its public health approach to the drug crisis, findings from this study have the potential to improve addiction care for YEH and guide health policy and service delivery to better meet the needs of this inequitably served population.