Nanaimo Youth Services Association
FirstFuture:
A Home First Initiative
A Strategy to Address Youth Homelessness in the Nanaimo Region
In the quest to create a community that is compassionate and inclusive to young people, NYSA is embarking on a groundbreaking youth housing initiative, ‘FirstFuture: A Home First Initiative‘ designed to combat youth homelessness in the Nanaimo region. This comprehensive strategy is driven by over-arching program objectives that prioritize immediate access to housing for all youth who need it, improvements in the quality and affordability of housing, and the integration of Indigenous housing options into all of the agency’s housing programs.
The multi-pronged approach encompasses various programs and interventions aimed at preventing homelessness, providing early intervention, offering shared living options, and addressing the shortcomings of the current emergency shelter system. At the core of these efforts is the commitment to the principles of the Housing First philosophy, ensuring that every young person has a secure and stable place to call home.
Is There The Will to Change
Consider our response to the pandemic: what if we had addressed COVID like we’re doing for youth homelessness?
People would have lived as if nothing was wrong, those that got sick would have gone to a clinic for treatment and would have been told to come back in 3 or 4 months for an appointment and many would have died waiting for the appointment. Some may have been shown how to wash their hands or wear a mask. Others would have decided to stay away from other people to minimize their exposure – maybe living in makeshift hidden camps.
And many would have suffered mental and physical anguish – a situation that would entice many to use drugs like amphetamines and opioids. Sound familiar?
Program Objectives:
Immediate Access to Housing for Youth Who Need it:
- Prioritizing swift and efficient access to housing for youth facing homelessness.
- Addressing the shortage of suitable housing options for young individuals in the city.
Integration of Indigenous Housing Options:
- Acknowledging and respecting Indigenous perspectives by integrating culturally appropriate housing options and supports for those who wish them.
Improving the Quality of Affordable Housing:
- Focusing on the development of affordable housing options for young people.
- Keeping youth within the community and preventing homelessness due to unaffordability.
Wrap-around Strategy
FirstFuture: A Home First Initiative‘ focuses on the provision of immediate access to housing for all youth. It has six components which are outlined below:
Prevention
The Hand Up program (AHUP) assists individuals who are at risk of homelessness with wraparound supports. AHUP assists service users to respond to their needs and goals by finding them long-term, stable housing and providing connections to community support resources.
Service users may get assistance with obtaining rent subsidies, completing PWD applications, connecting with housing resources, borrowing a security deposit, storing personal belongings during moving, acquiring essential housing items, accessing and paying for utilities, and SmartRenter training, money management and budgeting.
Early intervention
The Stay at Home program (SAH) assists youth who are having difficulty living in a family home or foster home. Users of this program are families who are having difficulty due to conflict between adults and young people. The aim of SAH is to keep youth in familiar surroundings where support and learning options are available to them. Working with all of the people involved helps to make this program successful.
Shared Living Options
Hosted Homes is a housing intervention program for youth who are near-to or currently experiencing homelessness for any variety of reasons, including but not limited to family conflict, poverty, gender identity and/or sexual orientation. The goal of Hosted Homes is to provide a safe, temporary, welcoming space where a young person has time to repair their relationships with self-identified family or make decisions about other housing options with the support of a caring, helpful navigator.
Supported Accommodation
Through its Supported Accommodation Assistance program (SAAP), NYSA proposes to develop a youth-centric accommodation centre with at least 20 spaces. The current system that involves youth accessing emergency shelter in a shared space with adults is highly problematic. We know that these sorts of shared spaces put youth at greater risk of violence, drug use, being trafficked, chronic homelessness and mental health decline.
While NYSA subscribes to the Housing First philosophy, there currently are not enough suitable housing options for youth in the city. Therefore, if youth are on the street, we need to provide a short-term opportunity for them to seek shelter. Once in SAAP, we can provide health, accommodation and physical support and guidance to get them to a place of more permanent housing.
Affordable Housing
The Stay Here program focuses on development of affordable housing for young people to offer them the chance to stay in our community. It also helps to prevent the potential for homelessness due to unaffordability, and provides them with suitable, permanent accommodation from which to live, work and play in the mid-Island region.
Ongoing Support
As part of a successful wrap-around housing service for youth, NYSA will provide ongoing support in the YouthBridge program to clients that are in, or have gone through any of our housing services if they are within our age category.
Are you a service provider that deals with youth in the mid-Island area?
NYSA is excited to partner with other agencies to ensure the success of our region's young people. Please contact us to discover how we can work together to end homelessness in our city.
