She came to us in August 2006 for the first time, alone and pregnant. Her mother had passed away six years earlier and cancer had taken her father when she was only two. She was truly alone except for the unborn child she was carrying. Little did she know that Youth Without Shelter (YSW) would soon become the closest thing she had to a home and a family in a very long time.

She decided, with the guidance of the YWS housing workers, that the best choice for her was moving to a maternity home. A maternity home would provide her with education on parenting and help her prepare to be a new mom. However, she would have to wait until she was six months pregnant to make the move.

Only five months into her pregnancy she gave birth to a beautiful little girl named Namya, but she was about to face another tragic loss - one that no mother should have to endure. Little Namya was too small and weak and soon passed away. When she was released to the hospital she returned to YWS in a very troubled state. She did not want to eat or come out of her room - all she wanted to do is be alone. There was nothing the staff could do to take away the pain she was feeling, but she knew that our hearts and all of our support was there for her. In the days ahead, the staff assisted her with funeral arrangements, even buying a tiny outfit for Namya to wear. The funeral was something that no one was prepared for, but staff and residents alike wanted to be there for her. The residents put on their best clothes and staff shuttled them in their cars to the funeral home. There, staff and residents alike stood beside her though one of the most difficult times of her life, singing songs and reading poems to make it special for Namya.

Despite everything she had just been through, she was determined to move on with her life. She actively searched for a place to live and with the assistance of YWS housing workers she found a rent to rent. She wanted to go back to school and planned to work on her career goal of being a nurse. She kept in touch with YWS staff and attended the Supper Clubs for ex-residents where she was able to get support from her peers as well as food and hygiene packages.

However, life did not become any easier. Financially there were struggles, her landlord was frequently raising the rent. It was time to move again into another small room that would hopefully be more affordable on a tight budget. It was not long before she was calling YWS staff for support and guidance as she was expecting a child again and knew that she needed to make some changes to her current living situation.

In the spring she returned to YWS once again to pursue her initial plan of entering a maternity home. She began meeting regularly with YWS housing workers and attending prenatal programs. In August she gave birth prematurely to baby Madison. Although Madison was very tiny, she seemed healthy and was doing well. She would need to stay in the hospital for another 3 months so she returned to YWS and commuted daily to the hospital to be with Madison. The nurses worked with her to teach her how to care for her newborn and YWS housing workers helped her to get a small apartment and get settled before Madision came home.

in September, she moved into a one bedroom apartment. Generous in-kind gifts from the community allowed YWS to furnish her new home and provide her with what she needed for the baby. Madision was released from the hospital in October. Today, both mother and child are doing well and make regularly visits to YWS, recently celebrating Madision's first birthday there. She has had a very difficult journey but she would tell you that she found more than a shelter and safe place to sleep at YWS, she found a home. "I feel like I'm home, the staff have never let me down and I will never let them down."

Returning Twenty-Two Years Later (John's Story)

Youth Without Shelter's executive director was quite taken aback when she was told an ex resident was in the front office waiting to speak with her. There was nothing unusual about an ex resident coming to visit, but this time she found a 41 year old man waiting for her.

John, now living in Newfoundland, was in Toronto for a vacation and wanted to say hello and show his three children where his life was turned around.

In 1986, at the young age of 16, John was found by police sleeping under a bridge and they took him to the newly opened Youth Without Shelter. There, he received shelter, food and job search assistance. After landing a job, John stayed at the shelter until he was able to rent a small place of his own.

Now, John is the owner of a $1Million business building and renovating homes. He gives back to the community by sponsoring children's hockey and soccer leagues.

It is always gratifying for Youth Without Shelter staff when former residents return to visit and share their success stories. In this case, it was even more so, because it underscored that their work has a long term impact on lives, so much so, a former resident came back to visit after twenty-two years.

An International Dilemma (Liecie's Story)

Liceie was brought to Youth Without Shelter (YWS) after she phoned the police from a neighbour's house where she had run to escape physical abuse by her aunt. When she arrived at the shelter she was bruised, afraid and just 17. She had come to Toronto for the summer as a visitor never suspecting that she would be held against her will by a relative who would become abusive and steal her only means of returning home. The police informed Liceie that they would try their best to retrieve her stolen passport and plane ticket that they believed were held by her aunt.

Youth Without Shelter staff quickly began working with Liceie to calm her fears and make her feel more at home. The housing worker met with her to see what could be done to assist her in returning to her family in her home country of St. Vincent. She was escorted to a meeting with Project Go Home to see if they would be able to fund her trip. The Consulate of St. Vincent informed YWS that given the situation they would issue new documents for her travel home if the original ones were not retrieved. Now, because of the meaningful connections made by YWS, Liceie had YWS, Project Go Home and the Consulate of St. Vincent all working to resolve her dilemma.

Meanwhile, Liceie was attending Steps to Success Program sessions, making new friends and getting used to the routine at the shelter. She was given warm clothing as all she had with her was a small summer wardrobe and fall weather had set in. She made calls to her mother in St. Vincent to assure her that she was safe and keep her up to date on the help she was receiving to go home.

Two weeks to the day Liceie was brought to YWS she was on a plane heading back home to her mother. Liceie was very thankful for everything that had been done for her. She showed her gratitude by making bead bracelets for the strangers at YWS where she had found safety and security.