News for June, 2010

Feature: Vancouver Forum Helps Shed Spotlight on Youth Homelessness

In May, Vancouver Foundation held its first forum on youth homelessness to shed some light on the unique challenges facing vulnerable young people. Held in the downtown branch of Vancouver Public Library, more than 130 people attended the event, including service agencies, the youth they serve, and decision-makers. Youth workers shared the successes and challenges they’ve experienced trying to secure permanent housing for young people experiencing homelessness.

Although agencies can help at-risk youth obtain housing by signing a lease or paying first month’s rent and damage deposits, the severe lack of affordable units and lack of sufficient funds for rent severely restrict the number of youth that can be assisted, the forum revealed.

Another key finding was that addressing the needs of young mothers presents unique challenges. It can take longer for these youth to transition to self-sufficiency than childless at-risk youth. It can also be more complicated to work with the family as a whole due to occasional conflicts between the needs of the mother, the needs of the child and the needs of other family members.

Over the last two years, Vancouver Foundation has committed over $1.5 million to a number of projects designed to address a variety of youth homelessness issues. Some of the agencies that received funding gathered at the forum to share their experiences.

“Some people might say we need to spend more on addressing homelessness,” said Catharine Hume, Director of Vancouver Foundation's Youth Homelessness Initiative. "And we should. But the truth is, Vancouver residents are already paying a lot for homelessness through our expenditures on shelters, jails, ambulances, hospital emergencies, food banks, and so on.”

“As a community, we need to consider reallocating some of this funding to ensure real housing options for young people and to providing support to address issues that contributed to their homelessness. In the long run this would be more effective at actually resolving this problem.”

Currently, as many as 700 youth are homeless in Vancouver, and that doesn’t include the hidden homeless: youth who couch surf, live in deplorable conditions or just bounce from home to home. “Without any stability it is nearly impossible to make progress in life, and without help, many of these youth could be on their way to a lifetime of homelessness.”

Community Spotlight: Infinity Project Recognized for Outstanding Work with Homeless Youth

In this fifth year of Eva’s Initiatives Award for Innovation, three winners were recognized for their outstanding work with homeless youth. One of the three winners for 2010, recognized for developing a comprehensive continuum of services to address the needs of street-involved youth was The Street Youth Planning Collaborative in Hamilton, Ontario.

The Street Youth Planning Collaborative (SYPC) is comprised of directors from five Hamilton organizations who are mandated to work directly with homeless youth. The members represent Good Shepherd Youth Services, Living Rock Ministries, Wesley Urban Ministries, Catholic Family Services, and Alternatives for Youth. The Social Planning and Research Council provides community development support to SYPC. The collaborative also encompasses two critical reference groups – the Street-Involved Youth Network (comprised of front-line workers) and the Street Youth Involvement Committee (comprised of youth).

The goal of SYPC is to develop a seamless and comprehensive continuum of services to address the needs of street-involved youth in Hamilton. Over the past five years this collaborative has completed a needs assessment, obtained funding, and developed programs to build an effective system for street-involved youth. The initiative has been successful in launching ten pilot projects, including two transitional housing projects – one for street-involved youth and one for young mothers and their babies.

What is innovative about this initiative is its success in fostering a new collaborative way of working. SYPC members focus on what is best for youth and the community’s network of services, rather than what is best for their individual agencies. They work together to obtain funding for program development and allow that funding to go to the agency best suited for the task. Instead of competing for resources, they are united in their common goal of developing and coordinating a comprehensive service system for street-involved youth. The group meets monthly and communicates regularly between meetings.

The Eva’s Initiatives Award for Innovation is generously sponsored by CIBC. Each winning organization receives a prize of $5,000, presented at an awards ceremony in their community.

News Briefs: Housing Bill Delayed

Canadians will have to wait even longer for the opportunity for a national housing strategy to be enshrined in legislature. Debate on the third reading of Bill C-304 – an Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for Canadians – was scheduled to start on May 5, but has now been postponed until the fall. However, the delay can be used as an opportunity for supporters to contact their Members of Parliament, particularly members of the Bloc Quebecois whose support is yet to be secured, and urge passage of the long-overdue legislation.

Project: Humanity Play Featured in Upcoming Theatre Season in Toronto

Toronto

In 2007, Project: Humanity brought a young, middle class playwright into one of Toronto’s roughest neighbourhoods to conduct on-camera interviews with the residents of a youth shelter. THE MIDDLE PLACE is the documentary theatre piece that emerged from those unpredictable encounters. Written by Andrew Kushnir and directed by Alan Dilworth, the play deconstructs both a little known community and the very familiar stigma surrounding youth and the homeless. Project: Humanity’s critically-acclaimed production of THE MIDDLE PLACE will play at both Theatre Passe Muraille and the Canadian Stage Company in Toronto’s 2010/11 theatre season.

Support for Talented At-risk Youth

Canadian rock sensations The Trews attended Toronto’s Remix Project recently to lend their support to Virgin Mobile’s RE*Generation, a movement aimed at raising funds and awareness for at-risk and homeless youth in Canada. The Trews toured Remix’s new facility and spent time with students and graduates of the Remix Project – an arts, cultural and life skills incubator for talented but vulnerable youth.

Ad Agency Leo Burnett to Take on Youth Homelessness with National Campaign

Award-winning advertising agency Leo Burnett is partnering with Raising the Roof to create a national public education campaign to help raise awareness about the true nature of homelessness in Canada.

“Every year we partner with a pro bono client and this year we are especially excited about this opportunity,” says David Moore, President and CEO of Leo Burnett Toronto. “The fact that on any given night 65,000 youths in Canada are without a place to call home is appalling. We really want to help change that and be part of a solution.”

Leo Burnett Toronto has successfully tackled other social issues in the past and is part of Leo Burnett Worldwide, a widely respected international network of advertising agencies operating in 83 countries.