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There is a rather crass cynicism in the general public that at-risk youth of being homeless are on the street, or living precariously, because it is either a type of “rite of passage,” an adventure, or they are simply going through a rebellious stage of their adolescence.  For the most part, such thinking is a myth.  Many near-homeless or homeless youth today were thrust out of their homes forced by neglect or abuse or graduated from the foster-care system when they reached nineteen.

There are a lot of dangers a youth faces once ejected from his or her familiar surroundings.  The most pervasive one is the anxiety of not have a safe place to sleep and the gnawing dread of never finding one.  But the most insidious danger is that of sexual exploitation, or the draw of the sex trade to simply survive.  In this week’s Monday Magazine (September 20, 2012), Simon Nattrass’ column (posted below) forcefully exposes this dark reality in our midst. His words are eloquent and his message blunt.  His last paragraph hits close to the heart of the matter.  Allowing any youth to be sexually exploited murders a vital spark in their inner being, that is, their living flame of self-worth that feeds their dreams and hopes.

After a long stint of living in shelters, Marie was finally doing well. She had all the right supports: housing, drug and trauma counselling, and even volunteering in the community. But when personal trauma became overwhelming and her addictions resurfaced, she couldn’t hold on to her supported housing and, once again, her only option was the street. Weeks later, she was on a corner in Rock Bay, surviving in the best way she knew how.

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There is a rather crass cynicism in the general public that at-risk youth of being homeless are on the street, or living precariously, because it is either a type of “rite of passage,” an adventure, or they are simply going through a rebellious stage of their adolescence.  For the most part, such thinking is a myth.  Many near-homeless or homeless youth today were thrust out of their homes forced by neglect or abuse or graduated from the foster-care system when they reached nineteen.

There are a lot of dangers a youth faces once ejected from his or her familiar surroundings.  The most pervasive one is the anxiety of not have a safe place to sleep and the gnawing dread of never finding one.  But the most insidious danger is that of sexual exploitation, or the draw of the sex trade to simply survive.  In this week’s Monday Magazine (September 20, 2012), Simon Nattrass’ column (posted below) forcefully exposes this dark reality in our midst. His words are eloquent and his message blunt.  His last paragraph hits close to the heart of the matter.  Allowing any youth to be sexually exploited murders a vital spark in their inner being, that is, their living flame of self-worth that feeds their dreams and hopes.

After a long stint of living in shelters, Marie was finally doing well. She had all the right supports: housing, drug and trauma counselling, and even volunteering in the community. But when personal trauma became overwhelming and her addictions resurfaced, she couldn’t hold on to her supported housing and, once again, her only option was the street. Weeks later, she was on a corner in Rock Bay, surviving in the best way she knew how.

Read more…

Andrew Wynn-Williams, the Executive Director of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homeless has spearheaded, during this season of “back-to-school,” a campaign to bring awareness about youth homeless in our community.

Kudos to Andrew and his staff for  highlighting this issue. In the August 30th copy (2012) of the Times Colonist, Andrew wrote an op-ed piece that gives focus and direction to combating this pathway into adult homelessness.

Andrew Wynn-Williams, the Executive Director of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homeless has spearheaded, during this season of “back-to-school,” a campaign to bring awareness about youth homeless in our community.

Kudos to Andrew and his staff for  highlighting this issue. In the August 30th copy (2012) of the Times Colonist, Andrew wrote an op-ed piece that gives focus and direction to combating this pathway into adult homelessness.

The following article appeared in the Times Colonist, August 30th, 2012; written by Judy Lavoie.

 Around a table at a Vic West house, three young people are tucking into beef stew, mashed potatoes and fruit salad. It’s dinner night at the transitional home for youth run by Threshold Housing Society, and life-skills coach Peggy English has been teaching cooking skills. “That means I cook it,” she said.  Matthew, 20, and Katherine, 19, have aged out of the foster care system, while 18-year-old Cody left foster care early. All are grateful to have one of the few spots in Victoria for the growing number of homeless youth. Matthew, who had been with his foster parents since he was nine, doesn’t like to think about the alternatives.

    “If I hadn’t got it, I would have been on the streets,” he said.

 Young people have become the “hidden homeless” of Victoria, said Andrew Wynn-Williams, executive director of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness. It is estimated that about 600 youth between 19 and 24 are without homes and couch-surfing, living in vehicles or camping. Although accurate counts are difficult to conduct, Victoria is likely seeing a trend like Vancouver’s, which had a 29 per cent increase in homeless youth over three years, said Wynn-Williams.

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The following article appeared in the Times Colonist, August 30th, 2012; written by Judy Lavoie.

 Around a table at a Vic West house, three young people are tucking into beef stew, mashed potatoes and fruit salad. It’s dinner night at the transitional home for youth run by Threshold Housing Society, and life-skills coach Peggy English has been teaching cooking skills. “That means I cook it,” she said.  Matthew, 20, and Katherine, 19, have aged out of the foster care system, while 18-year-old Cody left foster care early. All are grateful to have one of the few spots in Victoria for the growing number of homeless youth. Matthew, who had been with his foster parents since he was nine, doesn’t like to think about the alternatives.

    “If I hadn’t got it, I would have been on the streets,” he said.

 Young people have become the “hidden homeless” of Victoria, said Andrew Wynn-Williams, executive director of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness. It is estimated that about 600 youth between 19 and 24 are without homes and couch-surfing, living in vehicles or camping. Although accurate counts are difficult to conduct, Victoria is likely seeing a trend like Vancouver’s, which had a 29 per cent increase in homeless youth over three years, said Wynn-Williams.

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On August 3, 2012 Mr. Peter Norton of Intact Insurance presented Threshold with a large financial donation that will go towards the new life-skills program.

Intact Insurance gives a high priority to socially responsible actions in the local communities where they operate, as well as having a national focus. These range from youth homelessness, to climate change adaption programs, the Carbon Disclosure Project to intense employee volunteer engagement.

Mr. Peter Norton (Intact Insurance) and Mark Muldoon (Threshold)

Currently, the Intact Foundation has entered into a strategic partnership with Raising the Roof (Toronto), Canada’s only national charity seeking long term solutions to youth homelessness.  As their website states, the estimated 65,000 homeless youth in Canada is just too “shocking a statistic” to do nothing.

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