News

In British Columbia, when a youth in government care turns 19 years old they often lose access to essential support services, such as their housing, social worker, mental health services, and financial support. Youth age out of care, whether they are ready or not – at an age that is often already challenging and stressful. Due to the unprecedented times we are living in, youth in BC have just been granted a reprieve from aging out of care. This is an encouraging step in the right direction, although at this time it is a temporary shift. We must continue to highlight the various challenges, barriers, and trauma youth aging out often face. Why? Aging out of care without appropriate supports in place is often cited as a risk factor that leads to experiences of youth homelessness. We especially know this through the youth we serve. It is also often stated that only 28% of people know that youth age out of government care after their 19th birthday. So, now until June 31st, we will be bringing awareness to the challenges youth in care are exposed to when aging out. We look forward to highlighting stories of lived experience, articles, research, and stats on our social media pages and this blog. Join us and help us spread the word by sharing our posts! #ReadyOrNotAgingOutOfCare. Find us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram @ThsVic. 

Happy Monday! For this week’s #MeetTheTeamMonday we are introducing you to the newest member of our team – Yasmine!

⭐️Do you lean more towards being an introvert or an extrovert? Extroverted introvert? haha

⭐️If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Yellow! Read more…

30 years ago, on March 28th, Threshold Housing Society was created in response to the large number of youth experiencing homelessness in the 90’s. Today, Threshold Housing exists to serve the same purpose. We provide safe housing, support services, and community to at-risk youth. Our stakeholders have helped hundreds of at-risk youth find safe homes from which to heal and grow, many of whom were fleeing violence or abuse in their home, had aged out of government care without support, or were experiencing homelessness and living on the streets. The outcome of these efforts is a generation of youth who have transitioned sustainably into adulthood rather than into homelessness, living full and vibrant lives in community rather than simply surviving on the margins. They have completed education and training courses, found meaningful careers, started families, and are involved in their communities. Today, we want to celebrate this incredible legacy that so many people have contributed to over the years.

You might be feeling overwhelmed right now with all the information surrounding COVID-19. It is important that we remember to prioritize our mental health during this time as we are our physical health. Here are some ways to help you manage:
🌸Self care. Self care does not mean me first. It means me, too. Self-care is any activity that we plan to do in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Self care can look different for everyone. It may look like picking up a new book, taking a bath, going for a walk/bike ride, or picking up a colouring book! – Self care is a simple but often overlooked concept. Click this link to learn more about self care: https://psychcentral.com/…/what-self-care-is-and-what-it-i…/
🌸Focus on things that bring you joy – try a new recipe or start a new TV show.
🌸Avoid excessive media coverage. If you have a non-medical COVID-19 related question call/text 1-888-COVID19.
🌸If you are self-isolating do not feel guilty about using this time for a break. Watch Netflix, face-time your friends, or play a video game!
🌸 Don’t cancel your scheduled counselling session – ask if skype/facetime are available options.
🌸 Foundry Victoria remains open for youth ages 12-24. Please visit their Facebook page for updates. If you need access for physicians, nursing, counseling / outreach and peer support, call their main number at 250-383-3552. They have counsellors available over phone/text.
🌸If you are feeling overwhelmed, know that you are not alone in this. Text HOME to 686868 to text with a trained Crisis Responder.

It’s #MeetTheTeamMonday. We want you to get to know the Threshold team. We asked Lindsay some fun questions and here is how they responded. Please feel free to let us know your answers to these questions – as we would love to get to know you too!

⭐️ Do you lean more towards being an introvert or an extrovert? I feel like I exist somewhere amidst the middle of this spectrum. ‘Ambivert’ sits well with me – I definitely draw from varied energy sources at different times in my life.

⭐️If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? I don’t even know how to begin to choose. All colours are important and I will not discriminate. But also, green. Green is the best colour. Seaweed green.

Read more…

As you’re likely aware, there are significant concerns over the spread of Coronavirus. After careful consideration, and by the recommendation of local public health officials, we have decided to postpone our 30th Anniversary Gala. This decision is being made with the best interests in mind of our guests, staff, and the youth we serve. As an organization caring for a vulnerable population, we see it as our responsibility to make a prudent decision that will help protect the health of others who may be vulnerable. This is an important milestone in Threshold’s history, and we’re happy to confirm that our 30th Anniversary will be held at a yet to be determined date in the future. Thank you so much for all your support and we’re looking forward to continuing to highlight this milestone over our socials.

Happy Monday! We want you to get to know our team. For #MeetTheTeamMonday we asked our Executive Director Colin some questions to get to know him.

⭐️Do you lean more towards being an introvert or an extrovert?
My Myers-Briggs tells me I’m an extrovert but it’s marginal. I tend to be in the middle of this spectrum and while I very much enjoy relationships, community, and being engaged with people, I also need to time to myself to recharge, reflect and refocus.

⭐️If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
I would be a hybrid of black and gold. Those are the colours of my favorite football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Read more…

Thank you so much to Peninsula Co-op for being the Gold Sponsors of our upcoming 30th Anniversary Gala! We are grateful that Peninsula Co-op shares our vision, that all youth should have the opportunity to thrive.