Social agencies estimate there are more than 700 homeless youth in Hamilton right now, and until recently Alex counted himself among them.

Alex, 19, who asked only to be identified by his first name in the media, spoke with hundreds of Sherwood Secondary students on Friday morning at an event launching Raising the Roof's toque campaign. The event also highlighted new research by advocates for the homeless that over 700 youth are currently homeless. That number comes from a broadly defined "continuum" of circumstances — meaning they could be sleeping on the street, couch-surfing at friends' or seeking refuge at city shelters. The group did not have a breakdown of how many youth were in the various circumstances.

It was a little overwhelming to imagine that we have that many youth that don't have a place to call home in Hamilton. - Denise Scott, Director of Youth Services, Wesley Urban Ministries

Alex first found himself in this world, he said, when he was 14. He said he ran away from home several times, often following his older brother, to larger towns like Grand Prairie where he got involved with drugs and alcohol. Then it got worse. He wound up travelling to Montreal, where he said he was sexually abused. He said he suffered more abuse on his way to Hamilton. Here, through several local outreach organizations, he wound up in a rent-supported apartment.

"And that's my story," Alex tells the hushed crowd, before a wave of applause. After his speech several students hug him before leaving the auditorium.

"I hope they left with a sense that there definitely are youth out there experiencing these things," Alex told CBC Hamilton following his talk.

Does he believe there are over 700 homeless youth in the city of Hamilton right now? "Definitely."

Youth homelessness 'hidden': expert

Denise Scott, director of youth services at Wesley Urban Ministries, said the shocking figure is based on information from a number of agencies that help homeless youth as part of their mandate. By adding up the number of youth helped — factoring out crossover "to the best of our ability" — Scott said the number is accurate, though she admits it's a difficult population to track.

"It was a little overwhelming to imagine that we have that many youth that don't have a place to call home in Hamilton," said Scott, recalling the moment she saw the new number.

Previously, a 2005 study had found there were around 600 homeless youth in the city, Scott said. But finding a solution has been difficult, in part because a number of misconceptions about youth homelessness hinder the conversation about the topic. Among them:

Youth homelessness is hidden. Scott says young people are adept at finding friends or family to stay with, but these temporary homes are far from ideal.

Most youth don't fit society's vision of a homeless person. During his presentation, Alex is dressed in light grey skinny jeans and a hooded Old Navy sweater. Walking past him on the street, you would never guess he was recently homeless.

There's a perception that homeless youth are just runaways, temporarily bucking authority. While it's common for angry teens to run away from home, Scott said 70 per cent of teens are fleeing physical, sexual or emotionally-abusive environments when they leave.

Stigma surrounds youth homelessness

Even with the estimated 700 youth without a place of their own, on Hamilton's streets and in the city's shelters, Scott says people don't want to talk about it. "I think they probably don't want to face the reality," she said.

Raising the Roof says the sale of 10 toques will help a single mother in need learn a trade, helping her become independent and care for herself and her baby. (John Rieti/CBC)

"The youth get blamed, instead of the environments," Scott said.

Alex agreed. "There's a huge stigma around it."

"I could go to six different cities … they'd all have the same stigma that youth who are homeless do drugs, they steal, they burnt bridges with their parents and that's why they can't go home. Because they're the bad child."

That's not always the case, Alex says. "It's not always that one person's fault. Or anybody's fault. We have to learn to get around it," he said.

School kicks off fundraising campaign

During the Sherwood Secondary assembly, students were starting to talk about the issue. The school's principal told students that they will likely know a student that will wind up homeless at some point. A student on the school's social justice committee shared her story of spending time in youth shelters.

In the hallway, students sold more than $200 worth of Raising the Roof toques — recognizable by their little house logo — as part of the school's fundraising efforts. During the Raising the Roof campaign, which runs from now until February, 80 per cent of the proceeds will go towards supporting organizations that help homeless youth, like Wesley Urban Ministries.

For Alex, the public speaking was uncomfortable, but he said it was worth it to motivate the students.

"Instead of having more homeless youth, I'd rather me give them that edge, that vision of my life," he said.