Topic: Uncategorized

SHINE A LIGHT ON YOUTH HOMELESSNESS

This November & December, Threshold Housing is shining a light on youth homelessness. We believe that every youth in our community deserves a safe place to call home – to find sanctuary and acceptance.

Annually, we host a winter carnival and a tree lighting in Bastion Square to spread awareness of the youth homelessness crisis and to raise funds so that we can continue the work we do to support at-risk youth in our community.

This year we are unable to host the event in Bastion Square due to COVID-19, however, we are virtually continuing to spread awareness of the work we are doing. In these two months, we will be sharing stats, stories, and facts surrounding youth homelessness. We hope that you will consider supporting us this holiday season – so that we can continue to provide safe homes, support services, and community to at-risk youth experiencing homelessness in our community.

DONOR APPRECIATION MONTH

At Threshold, October is donor appreciation month. A month where we express how grateful we are for our donors and their support. Support from our donors, whether it is a one-time or a monthly donation, allows us to continue to provide safe homes and brighter futures to the youth we serve. We would not be able to do this important work without the support from our community, and we are grateful that we are surrounded by people like our donors who believe in a community where all youth can thrive.

Orange Shirt Day!

 Today is Orange Shirt Day. Orange Shirt Day is on September 30th, as it is the same time of year when children were taken from their homes and communities to residential schools.

ALL YOUTH DESERVE A SAFE PLACE TO CALL HOME

Safe housing, while a luxury for some, is something more than 150 youth in the region don’t have access to with not enough shelter beds and an affordable housing crisis exacerbating the issue.

“Safe housing is a place where you can have some privacy, separation from the outside world as you desire, and avoidance of things like overcrowding and being around behaviour or activities that make you feel unsafe,” said Colin Tessier, executive director of Threshold Housing Society, a Victoria organization that aims to support youth and help them find safe housing. “It’s a place where a young person feels they have support and healing and can grow from.”

Tessier said many of the youth experiencing homelessness in the region, and those who work with the organization, come from precarious and often dangerous or unhealthy situations. They’ve likely been through a lot of transitions in their life and even find themselves in situations where they’re being abused. Their at-home situations become so dire that they start to search for other options to avoid being traumatized any further.

“There are youth who sleep on our streets every night and it’s more than a couple. It’s a hidden homeless scenario but they’re just trying to find a place to rest their head at night,” Tessier said.

FINDING A SAFE HOME WITH PRIDE

One of the most common reasons youth experience homelessness is due to family violence and conflict. Where youth flee their homes to protect themselves. Studies show that there is an over representation of LGBTQ2S+ youth in those fleeing from violence and abuse in their home and experiencing homelessness. At Threshold, this is the narrative we find to be true among the youth we serve. This is why we are dedicating July to September 30th, 2020 to highlighting the detrimental impact violence and abuse in the home can have on youth, especially on their ability to build healthy habits, continue to their education, and have a positive self-image. At Threshold, we truly believe in providing youth with a safe place to call home that celebrates their diverse identities. Because all youth deserve to find a safe home with pride. 💙❤️💚💛🌈

#ReadyOrNotAgingOutOfCare

Since April 1st, we have been highlighting the ongoing issue of youth aging out of government care at 19 years old. Why? Because youth age out of care, whether they are ready or not! At an age that is often already challenging and stressful.

-Aging out of care without appropriate supports in place is often cited as risk factor that leads to experiences of homelessness.
-In 2018, the B.C. Coroners Service report found youth leaving government care died at five times the rate of the general population of young people in British Columbia.
– There is an over representation of Indigenous people experiencing homelessness, which can be directly linked to the over representation of Indigenous youth in government care. This is an outcome resulting from the ongoing legacy of colonialism.