Providing the essentials

“I turned to YWS when I was only 16 years old. I walked into the house, crying, feeling my life was over and I had nobody to turn to. I felt more welcomed into this shelter than I have felt anywhere else. They helped me believe in myself and they helped me realize that I can do whatever I want to in life as long as I put my mind to it.” Melissa, age 18

The Youth Without Shelter (YWS) residential program offers emergency accommodation for up to 30 youth each night. The residential program meets the immediate needs of the youth by providing them with shelter, counselling, regular meals, clothing and personal hygiene products. Professional child and youth care workers provide assessment, referral and case management services.

While staying at YWS, youth agree to abide by YWS policies, rules of conduct and house duties. Equally important, during their stay residents must set goals and actively follow a plan to achieve these goals. Each youth works with a case manager to make sure they are taking the daily steps (such as job interviews, housing searches etc.) to meet their goals.

A Case Manager shares her thoughts:

“As a case manager at YWS I have seen many youth come in and out of the shelter and I have heard many stories that stay on my mind and in my heart. There is a myth that youth are homeless because they do not want to follow their parents’ rules. I can say that this is false, because most of the time they are either abandoned, have no family at all, or they were abused (physically, emotionally, and/or sexually).” Schindler