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Shine a Light on Ending Youth Homelessness
For the seventh year, Threshold’s Shine a Light on Youth Homelessness campaign is back, this year with a new focus and additional partners. Threshold believes that ending youth homelessness in Greater Victoria is possible with a whole-of-community plan. The local suppliers, retailers, and partners involved in the campaign share that belief and invite the community to help end youth homelessness in Greater Victoria.
In addition to local supplier partners, Threshold has focused on local retail partners for Shine a Light. We are excited and grateful for the growing partnerships with local businesses to raise funds for at-risk youth.
This year, Chateau Victoria joins the campaign as a major partner, aligning their Forest of Wishes campaign with providing help, home, and community for youth at risk of homelessness.
Local goods doing local good
How to purchase
Corporate Orders
Support local Shine a Light retailers
Buy online
Shine a Light tea boxes and beeswax candles make ideal gifts for your clients and staff.
Download the corporate order form and submit it by email to ensure delivery (free on orders of 20 or more units) in time for all your events.
- Adventure Clothing
560 Yates St. & 2227 Oak Bay Ave. - Country Grocer
1153 Esquimalt Rd. & 4420 W. Saanich Rd. - Silk Road Tea (tea boxes)
1624 Government St. - Urban Grocer
1625 Fort St.
Please check back for additional locations
Colin Tessier quoted in Tyee article
October 1, 2024
The Tyee: https://thetyee.ca/News/2024/10/01/Can-Grace-Lore-Fix-Ministry-Children/
Tracy Sherlock is a reporter for The Tyee who focuses on the needs and rights of children, youth and families, particularly in regards to the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD). Quotes from Colin Tessier, in Sherlock’s article “Can Grace Lore Fix the Ministry for Children and Families?” highlights the need for bold action to stop the harm that often accompanies youth being connected to MCFD.
Summer Newsletter 2024
A New Home for Youth
We are so incredibly excited to share that Threshold welcomed its newest home on April 1st, 2024. This beautiful 7-bed home, located in Saanich at the foot of PKOLS, is an ideal fit for Threshold and will create a safe and welcoming home for at-risk youth in our community for decades to come. We are profoundly grateful to the donors and partners, The Kirzinger Family and NIȽ TU,O Child and Family Services, whose support made this acquisition possible.
Award for the Best Non-Profit 2024-2025
Wow! We are blown away by the news from last night. Threshold Housing won best non-profit of the year! We are grateful to be part of a community that believes that all youth should thrive. Huge shoutout to Take a Hike Foundation for the incredible impact they have supporting youth mental health.
We want to thank the Chamber for awarding us and hosting a special night. Congratulations to all 14 winners, and all of the finalists. We are truly grateful to be in such good company.
Please check out our finalist video.
Photo of (from the left): Board President-Elect Alison Campbell, Board Chair Alan Andrew, Treasurer Sheila Beauchemin, Director of Strategic Relations Shannon Whissell, Udo Van Elewout, Director of Housing and Support Services Angela Mcnulty-Buell, and Mike Buell.
Shine Brighter November 28
On November 28, Threshold Housing Society will again participate in Giving Tuesday Canada – this time with an amazing matching donation of up to $10,000!
Giving Tuesday is an important opportunity both for Threshold to show our gratitude for all the support we receive, and to deepen our relationships with community as we head into the full blast of the holiday season.
While there is so much to be thankful for, there is also much work to do. We are seeing not only more youth experiencing housing instability and homelessness, but youth with more compounding issues such as mental illness, substance use disorder, and deeply fractured support networks.
While we have been sharing our gratitude in the leadup to Giving Tuesday we’d also like to again show our thanks to those who choose to “Shine Brighter” on November 28.
Ways to Shine Brighter
- give your first gift to Threshold
- become a monthly donor
- give more than $100
- purchase $100 in Shine a Light on Youth tea boxes or beeswax pillar candles through our website.
The first 25 supporters who qualify by Shining Brighter will receive our thanks in the shape of our beautiful ‘Shine a Light on Youth’ tea tin. These limited edition versions of our annual tea boxes are a year-round reminder of your generosity to us – and they make a great gift!
We are so grateul for
Shine A Light 2023
We are delighted to launch Shine a Light on Youth Homelessness for its sixth year. Our popular Silk Road “12 Days of Tea” tea boxes are available once again for the price of just $20, and we are so grateful for Silk Road’s ongoing support. Daniela Cubelic, the owner and Tea Master of Silk Road says, “When we work together, it can add up to something meaningful. Knowing that, we’re proud to continue our part in Shine a Light.”
This year, Threshold has broadened the campaign, adding Cowichan Valley-based Crowfoot Collective to their list of partners. Providing a deeply local and elegent 3” beeswax pillar candle to the campaign – the beeswax comes from island bees pollinating island flowers – co-owners Claire and Lawrence Crowfoot said, “youth homelessness is a cause close to our hearts. We believe in the importance of what Threshold is doing, and we are excited to be part of Shine a Light.”
The over-representation of Indigenous youth amongst youth experiencing homelessness, they comprised 40% of Threshold applicants last year, means that partnering with Indigenous businesses is important to Threshold. Executive Director Colin Tessier stated that “Shine a Light is our biggest campaign of the year, and it needs to reflect our position in the community and our commitment to supporting Indigenous youth, communities, organizations, and businesses.”
In addition to local supplier partners, Threshold has focused on local retail partners for Shine a Light. We are excited and grateful for the growing partnerships with local businesses to raise funds for at-risk youth.
Check the growing list of partners below.
Please support our local Shine a Light retailers
- Adventure Clothing
560 Yates Street, Victoria - Country Grocer (Esquimalt)
1153 Esquimalt Rd, Esquimalt - Country Grocer (Royal Oak)
4420 W. Saanich Rd, Saanich - Silk Road Tea (tea boxes only)
1624 Government St. Victoria - Urban Grocer
1625 Fort St., Victoria
Join us for Do the Loop 2023
The 3rd Annual Do the Loop is back. The campaign runs from August 1 to September 23, 2023, with participants getting out to ride, run, walk, roll, and move – for youth.
This year, funds raised by Do the Loop participants will support the Family and Natural Support program, Threshold’s innovative prevention program for youth at risk of homelessness.
We are grateful once again for the generous support of the JAYMAC II fund through the Victoria Foundation for their matching gift of $20,000. That’s right – the first $20,000 raised will be matched dollar for dollar.
Learn all the details on our Do the Loop page, or skip right over to Race Roster to register or donate.
Safe at Home with Pride 2023
An under-examined aspect of safety for youth is being safe to be themselves in emotional and mental ways, and that includes having people in their lives who use the language that resonates with who they are – be that gender designations, names, or labels.
Despite what parents, teachers, and kids in the schoolyard have said for generations, sticks and stones may break my bones, but hateful words can leave deeper wounds that are slower to heal. And yet, many people resist something that costs them nothing: using respectful language.
Helpful resources
In Victoria, the Greater Victoria School District has created a library of helpful resources for those who want to understand the terminology of sexual orientations, gender identity, and gender expression.
Ready or Not ’23: Report Card
To wrap-up Ready or Not: Aging out of Care for this year, we’ve summarizes the BC government’s support for the Eight Pillars of Equitable Support for Youth Aging out of Care with an old-fashioned report card.
Although significant changes have been made to support youth aging out of government care, there are still major gaps in funding and support to ensure positive long term outcomes. In reviewing recent updates to the recommendations from the BC Representative for Children and Youth, we can see where improvements have been made, and where there is still significant work to be done.
Finance
C+
Financial supports for youth aging out of care are still contingent on specific requirements, and they fall short of meeting the financial pressures caused by increased housing and food costs. However, for those able to work, a full earning exemption allows for greater flexibility in financial security.
Education & Professional Development
C+
Recent increases to educational funding, and a reduction in the restrictions for that funding, offer more flexibility for youth leaving care to expand their life skills. However, funding for program costs alone does not take into account the need for additional support while pursuing education & training.
Housing
C
While some work has been done on investigating and understanding youth housing needs, the majority of funding for housing creation is still inaccessible for organizations supporting youth.
Relationships
B
The extension of voluntary residential care allows youth from care to maintain relationships with their support networks as they transition out of care. Youth transition workers are now able to work with youth aging out of care up to age 25, helping to maintain relationships as youth transition out of care.
Culture, Spirituality, and Wellbeing
C
Recommendation #6 from the BC Representative for Children and Youth outlines some of the progress that is being made in this area. However, this progress is slow and falls short of meeting the needs of youth transitioning out of care. Additional funding for extended medical and mental health supports has been mentioned by the government, but concrete details, including an implementation date, have not been announced.
Advocacy & Rights
F
The implementation of longitudinal data collection to monitor the effectiveness of programs has still not been done. Without the ability to see how programs are working, it is difficult – if not impossible – to get an accurate understanding of the needs of youth transitioning out of care.
Emerging Adult Development
B
Increases in the number of transition workers, and an extension on the continuity of service with those workers up to age 25, help youth to transition at a pace that they are comfortable with. Additional work to extend the age to 27 (as recommended by the BC Representative for Children and Youth) and increased long term follow up would enhance emerging adult development for youth.
We applaud the work done by the Ministry of Child and Family Development in increasing the funding and support offered to youth as they transition out of care. And, as long as there are still major gaps in the services youth need in order to achieve positive long term outcomes will continue to do our work to fill those gaps with programs that support recovery, housing stability, and life skills training in order to set youth up for long term success as they transition into adulthood.
References:
Check this PDF document for links to all references used in this blog series.