On behalf of the youth that Threshold is privileged to house and to aid in their journey to adulthood, the Staff and the Board would like to thank the various organizations and individuals that made this a special Christmas for our residents. Without their help and contributions, it would have been impossible to spread the Christmas spirit with such largesse.
* Many thanks to the Allegra Singers of Victoria (Jill, Sue, Penelope, Karin and many others) for putting on two absolutely marvelous choir performances on behalf of Threshold on Nov. 30th and Dec 1st. These were magical concerts that had everyone in the Christmas spirit very quickly.
On behalf of the youth that Threshold is privileged to house and to aid in their journey to adulthood, the Staff and the Board would like to thank the various organizations and individuals that made this a special Christmas for our residents. Without their help and contributions, it would have been impossible to spread the Christmas spirit with such largesse.
* Many thanks to the Allegra Singers of Victoria (Jill, Sue, Penelope, Karin and many others) for putting on two absolutely marvelous choir performances on behalf of Threshold on Nov. 30th and Dec 1st. These were magical concerts that had everyone in the Christmas spirit very quickly.
Many people often comment with exasperation as to why many at-risk and homeless youth don’t access services that might help them. A recent article in the Vancouver Sun lays out the reasoning quite clearly in summarizing the results of the At Home/Chez Soi study sponsored by the federal government.
Emily Grant finds her way off the street thanks to the "At Home/Chez Soi" Study sponsored by the federal government.
Only once a youth is housed properly, safely, securely, do they feel able and motivated to seek assistance for other issues going on in their life. Long-term stable transitional housing has been shown over and over again to be a guaranteed path for people to stay off the streets and to build a life. Support local politicians who support long-term stable housing for youth.
On Friday, November 30th and December 1, 2012, The Allegra Singers of Victoria will be performing a Winter Concert in support of the Threshold Housing Society.
The Allegra Singers is a wonderful choir established in 1996. They perform a wide variety of music – from class
ical to jazz, gospel to musical theater, world music to pop, folk and rock. Their mission is to enjoy the songs they sing, improve their talents, to entertain and to touch the hearts of the audience and to have fun in the process.
Over the years, they have supported a number of local charities and non-profits providing service to the community including the Cridge Centre for the Family, Angel Flight of Vancouver Island, the Ovarian Cancer Society, and Project Literacy Victoria.
Please come and enjoy the energizing voices of the Allegra Singers. What a great way to respond to the problem of youth homelessness in the region!
Threshold’s SHY Program is currently funded entirely on grants from the corporate sector. Without these grants, the program will close and a number of youth will lose their stable housing units.
How can you help?
Threshold has been entered into the Aviva Community Fund Competition, under the special category of “At-Risk Youth.” The grand prize is $150,000.
To view our listing go to: http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf16277.
To vote go to: http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/about/voting. You will have to register (click on yellow button “Register Now”) with your email address and a password. Anyone can vote across Canada as long as they are registered.
The TELUS Communications Company stands by their word. On November 1st, the company donated to the Safe Housing for Youth Program (SHY).
Ms. Gina Peccorelli, the Senior Manager, Community Affairs, for TELUS, hands a cheque to Tara Skobel, the SHY Program Coordinator.
The Safe Housing for Youth program (SHY) was initiated by the Threshold Housing Society in May 2012. With the help of local grants from Coast Capital Savings, Victoria Real Estate Board, and Provincial Employees Community Services Fund, the Society was able to hire a SHY coordinator (Tara Skobel). Her first task was to help negotiate program agreements with adult subsidizing-housing providers to provide 1-2 units dedicated to housing youth (16-24 years of age) at an affordable rate. By September the program was housing 5 youth with the hope of housing 3 more by December. To learn more, watch the following Vital People clip created by Veronica Cooper of CHEK-TV under the auspices of the Victoria Foundation. The original clip was aired October 28 on CHEK-TV. For more information see our website. (Also, see side bar to view clip).
There is a misunderstanding among many community members that the majority of youth in need of transitional housing are youth living in the rough, in the parks, outside or on the street. Over the last couple of years, the youth population that has grown and in need of affordable transitional housing is actually composed of youth still in school or holding low-paying jobs. They often shun government assistance for fear of being stigmatized or they are ineligible for assistance. This group couch surf, live in crowded basements, someone’s RV or with inappropriate partners. This vulnerable population is growing. Our metro region does not have the capacity to house them.
To understand more about this growing population, please watch and listen to this video called “Invisible: Diaries of New York’s Homeless Youth,” produced by the Reciprocity Foundation in New York city. This short, mini-documentary, is a wonderful window in youth who are not criminally or drug entrenched but have a difficult time getting their lives in order without stable, affordable housing. This video can also be accessed by clicking here: Documentary
On October 19th-20th, the doors of Victoria’s historic Odd Fellows Hall (1315 Douglas Street) will be open to the greater community for a unique and dynamic event. See details here. This 2-day offering of presentations, workshops, panel discussions and mixed media will focus on strengthening local community, addressing youth homelessness, and understanding the connection between the two. To make the summit accessible to everyone, all sessions are by donation with proceeds going to help youth in Victoria who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Summit sessions will be facilitated by a diverse group of people and expertise, including local youth who are or have experienced homelessness, community leaders, citizens inspired by community, leading researchers, and organizations working locally in youth homelessness.
This will be a different kind of homelessness summit; one that addresses the housed as well as the homeless in engaging the issue The organizers acknowledge that the general public are just as much a part of the issue and solution as the homeless community. Rather than focus on homelessness as simply a problem that needs to be fixed, the Summit will explore the issue as a community reflection to be better understood. One that can help show us the way to a more inclusive, compassionate, efficient and vibrant community all round.