Vulnerable and marginalized youth in Montreal face a complex interconnectivity of barriers to accessing crucial health-promotion tools, including: mental health services, housing, and education and employment options as they transition to adulthood. Through a combination of interviews with stakeholders in the youth-serving nonprofit sector, and contextual research into social determinants of health and institutional exclusion for Canadian youth, this report analyzes three Key Issues and their impacts on the immediate and long-term well-being of youth in Montreal. The Key Issues are:

1. Access to mental health support
2. Access to harm reduction for youth who use drugs
3. Youth aging out of youth protection systems.

The study found that existing community sector services in the city are chronically underfunded and, as a result, are restricted by a lack of integrated tools required to effectively support marginalized groups: LGBTQ2IAP+, racialized and Indigenous groups, homeless youth, and those leaving the youth protection system.