News

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.

Read more…

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…

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.

Read more…

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.

Read more…