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From the report "Can I See Your ID? The Policing of Youth Homelessness in Toronto":

This report sets out to document the criminalization of homelessness in Canada by exploring the relationship between homeless persons -- in particular, street youth -- and law enforcement officials (both the police and private security).

Drawing from over 240 interviews with street youth in Toronto in 2009, as well as a review of official statistics on Ontario Safe Streets Act tickets in Toronto over the past 11 years, we explore the ways in which homelessness has been criminalized through a law and order agenda. Effective policy should be informed by research, not developed as a response to moral panics.

Our research raises serious questions about the use of law enforcement as a strategy to address the visibility of homelessness in Canada.