Latest news with #ChoicesforYouth
CBC
27-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Homeless forgotten in federal election platforms, say advocates
Homeless people also not well represented due to barriers to voting While the federal parties have been campaigning on promises to build more homes in Canada, advocates say those most in need of those homes have been left out of the conversation. "I see a lot of … hopelessness around finding a stable housing space," said Nivethine Mahendran who works with Choices for Youth, an organization that works with homeless youth. Both the Liberal and Conservative parties have promised to build more homes and eliminate the GST for first-time home buyers. But buying a home isn't an option homeless youth even consider according to Mahendran. She says the concerns that she's hearing when she speaks with homeless youth are not being addressed in the election platforms. She says they're looking for more affordable rental options, rent control, and increased funding to non-profits to expand housing initiatives They would also like to see more single-occupancy housing options and other income support programs boosted, she said. "That money hasn't changed over the last couple of years, whereas rental prices have just skyrocketed," said Mahendran. And housing is a crucial part in dealing with other life issues. "Whether it's addictions or they're escaping domestic intimate partner violence," she said. "You need a stable space in order to make some kind of progress on the other issues you're handling." Homelessness not addressed The executive director of End Homelessness St. John's, Doug Pawson, says homeless individuals have strong interest in the federal election, and are watching for promises to improve housing. But he says homelessness isn't well addressed in any of the party platforms. "There's not really any mention of homelessness programming and investments in any of the platforms," said Pawson. Pawson said he would like to see promises to create more affordable rentals, more social housing, and incentives for landlords to boost supply. While Pawson says he is happy to see a commitment to housing development, the housing strategy needs to be more robust. "Building our way out of the crisis is only helpful for … more or less 1 segment of the population, not so much the vulnerable segment," said Pawson. Pawson said he would like to see commitments made by the parties to support Canada's current homelessness strategies, including the National Housing Strategy, and Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy. Pawson said the government's current target is to reduce chronic homelessness by 50 per cent, but noted that last year the parliamentary budget office reported that they would need to increase funding sevenfold to reach that target. "It's a bit disappointing not to see any acknowledgement of how important housing and homelessness in those two [strategies]" said Pawson. Barriers to voting Pawson and Mahendran say that they have seen an interest from homeless individuals in voting, but barriers to voting often means that demographic isn't well represented in electoral decisions. "Not everybody will have a current ID that shows an address or they may not have an address," said Pawson. "Voting, it can be probably a bit of a luxury for folks who are just struggling to survive day-to-day" He said homeless people might need someone to go with them to polling stations to vouch for them and verify their identity. Residents of transitional housing facility, Horizons at 106, will also receive a letter of confirmation of residence that they can also use. Transportation to polls is another barrier, said Pawson adding that End Homelessness will be providing transportation to polls for some individuals. At Choices for Youth, Mahendran says they try to empower homeless youth to go out and vote because participating in democracy often feels impossible for them. "They feel like it's a space outside of what they're experiencing," she said. "They don't feel like they can connect with the candidates." Mahendran says she encourages youth to support each other to vote. "And then also having them go into the community and say here, this is how you can kind of engage productively with civic engagement and democracy," she said.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ending youth homelessness starts with preventing it in the first place, say advocates
Jen Crowe, executive director of Choices for Youth, says fighting homelessness — especially for youth — the best measure of success lies in prevention services that help young people before their situations reach a crisis. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC) Newfoundland and Labrador youth advocates say the key to keeping youth off the streets, their bellies full and surrounded by community, is to focus on prevention services. Jen Crowe, executive director of Choices for Youth, says her organization has updated its mandate from helping youth aged 16 to 29 to as early as infancy. That's because they want to catch as many people as possible before they find themselves in a crisis, she said. "How do we work to ensure that they're not vulnerable in the first place?" Crowe said. "And the answer is we start by focusing on them when they are children and even younger than that." In a previous interview, Crowe said there are 200 youth on a housing waitlist in St. John's. With a cost of living that keeps climbing, she says many families are forced to choose between rent and food. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, she added, the definition of who is at risk of homelessness or food insecurity is expanding to include more people. Youth are especially at risk of chronic homelessness, says Stephen Geatz, president of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. He says research from the federal government indicates almost half of the people who experienced homelessness had their first experience before the age of 25, with the predominant age being between 15 and 19. "The good news is we now know a lot about what to do," he said. "We've got preventive interventions that have solid evidence for their effectiveness." WATCH | The Signal with a panel of experts and advocates on helping youth avoid a crisis: Melissa Power coordinates the school-based program Upstream Canada N.L., which currently has staff in four schools in the province where they identify and help youth and their families at risk. "We all want youth to get their education and to be employed and to contribute to our society," Power said. "But for a lot of these young people, they are in survival mode. They're just trying to figure out their next step." Figuring out the next step is where the program comes in. If a youth needs help with mental health because they are suffering from anxiety or depression, the program provides them access to those services. If they need more food at home, assistance with getting to appointments, or support for family members who have lost their jobs, the program helps with that as well. Melissa Power works for Choices for Youth as the coordinator of the Upstream Canada Newfoundland and Labrador program. It's a prevention-based school program that works with youth to identify issues — from mental and physical health to financial challenges at home — and works with them and their families to resolve them. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC) "The beauty of prevention is that we can really start that process early. But it requires, from my perspective, that that young person has what they need when they need it," Crowe said. "That involves embedding services like what we provide, but also so many other incredible organizations across this province, within the school system as much as possible." Crowe says the approach should focus not just on investing in emergency shelters, but also on making housing affordable. "Because we're in a state of crisis right now … the crisis response often feels like, well, we need to make sure that these folks have a place to stay tonight," she said. "But we need to also make sure that they have a place to stay in a year, in two years, in five years, in 10 years, and that they can build a life that makes sense for them and their family." That means not only building more housing and making rent affordable, but also helping families maintain a steady income. Crowe points to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit provided during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a drastic decrease in family and child poverty. And when youth face a crisis — mental health issues, substance abuse, or family breakdown — these challenges intertwine, making the services needed to help more complex, Crowe said. "We really need to tackle all three of those things: housing stock, financial security and mental health and other wraparound services in order to really address this mounting issue of homelessness." Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ending youth homelessness starts with preventing it in the first place, say advocates
Jen Crowe, executive director of Choices for Youth, says fighting homelessness — especially for youth — the best measure of success lies in prevention services that help young people before their situations reach a crisis. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC) Newfoundland and Labrador youth advocates say the key to keeping youth off the streets, their bellies full and surrounded by community, is to focus on prevention services. Jen Crowe, executive director of Choices for Youth, says her organization has updated its mandate from helping youth aged 16 to 29 to as early as infancy. That's because they want to catch as many people as possible before they find themselves in a crisis, she said. "How do we work to ensure that they're not vulnerable in the first place?" Crowe said. "And the answer is we start by focusing on them when they are children and even younger than that." In a previous interview, Crowe said there are 200 youth on a housing waitlist in St. John's. With a cost of living that keeps climbing, she says many families are forced to choose between rent and food. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, she added, the definition of who is at risk of homelessness or food insecurity is expanding to include more people. Youth are especially at risk of chronic homelessness, says Stephen Geatz, president of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. He says research from the federal government indicates almost half of the people who experienced homelessness had their first experience before the age of 25, with the predominant age being between 15 and 19. "The good news is we now know a lot about what to do," he said. "We've got preventive interventions that have solid evidence for their effectiveness." WATCH | The Signal with a panel of experts and advocates on helping youth avoid a crisis: Melissa Power coordinates the school-based program Upstream Canada N.L., which currently has staff in four schools in the province where they identify and help youth and their families at risk. "We all want youth to get their education and to be employed and to contribute to our society," Power said. "But for a lot of these young people, they are in survival mode. They're just trying to figure out their next step." Figuring out the next step is where the program comes in. If a youth needs help with mental health because they are suffering from anxiety or depression, the program provides them access to those services. If they need more food at home, assistance with getting to appointments, or support for family members who have lost their jobs, the program helps with that as well. Melissa Power works for Choices for Youth as the coordinator of the Upstream Canada Newfoundland and Labrador program. It's a prevention-based school program that works with youth to identify issues — from mental and physical health to financial challenges at home — and works with them and their families to resolve them. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC) "The beauty of prevention is that we can really start that process early. But it requires, from my perspective, that that young person has what they need when they need it," Crowe said. "That involves embedding services like what we provide, but also so many other incredible organizations across this province, within the school system as much as possible." Crowe says the approach should focus not just on investing in emergency shelters, but also on making housing affordable. "Because we're in a state of crisis right now … the crisis response often feels like, well, we need to make sure that these folks have a place to stay tonight," she said. "But we need to also make sure that they have a place to stay in a year, in two years, in five years, in 10 years, and that they can build a life that makes sense for them and their family." That means not only building more housing and making rent affordable, but also helping families maintain a steady income. Crowe points to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit provided during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a drastic decrease in family and child poverty. And when youth face a crisis — mental health issues, substance abuse, or family breakdown — these challenges intertwine, making the services needed to help more complex, Crowe said. "We really need to tackle all three of those things: housing stock, financial security and mental health and other wraparound services in order to really address this mounting issue of homelessness." Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.
CBC
16-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Ending youth homelessness starts with preventing it in the first place, say advocates
High cost of living and less affordable housing means more people are at risk of homelessness Image | Jen Crowe Caption: Jen Crowe, executive director of Choices for Youth, says fighting homelessness — especially for youth — the best measure of success lies in prevention services that help young people before their situations reach a crisis. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC) Newfoundland and Labrador youth advocates say the key to keeping youth off the streets, their bellies full and surrounded by community, is to focus on prevention services. Jen Crowe, executive director of Choices for Youth, says her organization has updated its mandate from helping youth aged 16 to 29 to as early as infancy. That's because they want to catch as many people as possible before they find themselves in a crisis, she said. "How do we work to ensure that they're not vulnerable in the first place?" Crowe said. "And the answer is we start by focusing on them when they are children and even younger than that." In a previous interview, Crowe said there are 200 youth on a housing waitlist in St. John's. With a cost of living that keeps climbing, she says many families are forced to choose between rent and food. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, she added, the definition of who is at risk of homelessness or food insecurity is expanding to include more people. Youth are especially at risk of chronic homelessness, says Stephen Geatz, president of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. He says research from the federal government indicates almost half of the people who experienced homelessness had their first experience before the age of 25, with the predominant age being between 15 and 19. "The good news is we now know a lot about what to do," he said. "We've got preventive interventions that have solid evidence for their effectiveness." WATCH | The Signal with a panel of experts and advocates on helping youth avoid a crisis: Media Audio | The Signal : System fixes for vulnerable youth in N.L. Caption: Today on the show we speak with experts and avocates who have frontline perspectives on what vulnerable youth are facing in Newfoundland and Labrador. We talk housing, food insecurity, mental health struggles, and the justice system -- from gaps to fixes. Open Full Embed in New Tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage. Melissa Power coordinates the school-based program Upstream Canada N.L., which currently has staff in four schools in the province where they identify and help youth and their families at risk. "We all want youth to get their education and to be employed and to contribute to our society," Power said. "But for a lot of these young people, they are in survival mode. They're just trying to figure out their next step." Figuring out the next step is where the program comes in. If a youth needs help with mental health because they are suffering from anxiety or depression, the program provides them access to those services. If they need more food at home, assistance with getting to appointments, or support for family members who have lost their jobs, the program helps with that as well. Image | Melissa Power Caption: Melissa Power works for Choices for Youth as the coordinator of the Upstream Canada Newfoundland and Labrador program. It's a prevention-based school program that works with youth to identify issues — from mental and physical health to financial challenges at home — and works with them and their families to resolve them. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC) Open Image in New Tab "The beauty of prevention is that we can really start that process early. But it requires, from my perspective, that that young person has what they need when they need it," Crowe said. "That involves embedding services like what we provide, but also so many other incredible organizations across this province, within the school system as much as possible." Crowe says the approach should focus not just on investing in emergency shelters, but also on making housing affordable. "Because we're in a state of crisis right now … the crisis response often feels like, well, we need to make sure that these folks have a place to stay tonight," she said. "But we need to also make sure that they have a place to stay in a year, in two years, in five years, in 10 years, and that they can build a life that makes sense for them and their family." That means not only building more housing and making rent affordable, but also helping families maintain a steady income. Crowe points to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit provided during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a drastic decrease in family and child poverty. And when youth face a crisis — mental health issues, substance abuse, or family breakdown — these challenges intertwine, making the services needed to help more complex, Crowe said. "We really need to tackle all three of those things: housing stock, financial security and mental health and other wraparound services in order to really address this mounting issue of homelessness."
CBC
24-02-2025
- General
- CBC
There are 200 youth on a housing waitlist in St. John's. Choices for Youth is asking for help
Worries heighten for Choices for Youth executive director Jen Crowe as she thinks about where young people in St. John's are spending their nights during the cold winter months. Crowe says there are 200 youth on a housing waitlist, and Choices for Youth's nine-bed emergency shelter is consistently full. The city's housing shortage is also an issue. Crowe says it's nearly impossible to move people from the emergency shelter to other housing options because "there is nowhere to move them." "We are at an absolute mount in terms of where we are with homelessness and housing insecurity in our community alone," said Crowe, adding that there is a record low of rental unit vacancies in the city. To help with these problems, the organization's annual Coldest Night Of The Year fundraising event was held on Saturday. Over 300 people gathered at Atlantic Place to complete a 2.5-kilometre walk through downtown. About $80,000 was raised, exceeding the group's original goal of $60,000. That money goes directly ino programs and services to support youth experiencing homelessness. "Today is a day of visibility," said Crowe. "It's only together that we can really, truly address this and make a dent in the issue of homelessness in our community." Funding problems continue In August, the organization was forced to cut 16 staff members after federal funding fell through. Choices had asked for $20 million over four years, but only received $4 million. Then, in October, they were able to negotiate an agreement to use the $4 million in one year instead of over four. However, that funding will run out by August. "Ultimately we've received a quarter of what we're used to in terms of federal funding," said Crowe. Since getting federal funding, the organization has hired several staff into its education, employment and social enterprise teams, as well as youth completing pre-employment training. "We have been able to offer new positions to some of the staff who we laid off in the summer," said Crowe. She says there's evidence to prove that the group's programming works. Within a year, half of the youth that have come to Choices for Youth without stable housing, have received housing. And half of the youth seeking mental health support, said they have improved mental health. "We really need to invest in what's working, what's evidence-based," said Crowe. 'Demand is ever increasing' Crowe says Choices for Youth has helped house 150 youth a year in units they operate themselves, and units owned by private landlords. These youth still receive support including therapy, basic needs, skills development and employment support. However, those services are generally booked full, Crowe said, and there aren't enough options in St. John's. Crowe says they also need more "wrap-around supports," which include primary care, mental health support and ways to make an income. In St. John's, half of the people experiencing homelessness first experienced homelessness before the age of thirty, she said. Crowe says the key to stopping homelessness is looking at factors that contribute to it, like substance use, mental health challenges and lack of affordable housing. "I think if we can really narrow in on those baseline fundamental issues, then we have a shot at ending homelessness in our community," she said. To do that, Crowe says, more sustainable funding is needed.
