Do you ever see a young homeless person - maybe a teenager or someone in their very early twenties - and think to yourself: “How did they end up here?” or “Where are their parents?” There are as many reasons that youth become homeless as there are youth. Perhaps they have a history of mental illness that has led to damaged relationships and broken trust. Maybe they’ve been in trouble with the law, and are trying to start over. Often, they come from unhappy, dysfunctional homes, and they’re just trying to stay safe.
In Waterloo region, oneROOF Youth Services is committed to providing for the safety, support, and overall well-being of youth aged 12-25 who are experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. They do this by providing supportive services along with both a shelter, and supportive housing building at their location in Kitchener.
The emergency shelter meets the immediate need for safety and shelter. It’s an eighteen-bed co-ed shelter for youth aged 16-25 years. Beds are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis with the goal of transitioning out of the shelter and into appropriate housing as soon as possible. Often that means moving to oneROOF’s supportive housing building and into their Next Steps Housing program.
First opened in the summer of 2022, the supportive housing building has 44 studio-style suites that include a place for sleeping, along with a private washroom and small kitchenette. Youth are expected to pay rent, keep their units clean, and take responsibility for any damage caused by themselves or their guests.
Next Steps Housing is based on a Housing First model that is youth-specific. This approach is all about housing as a first step in ending the cycle of homelessness, and as a prerequisite for recovery. Then support services are added to aid recovery and stability. The belief is that people, especially youth, are better able to move forward with their lives if they are first housed. The Housing First for Youth approach takes this a step further with an emphasis on services, serving as both an intervention model as well as a prevention model.
“The idea is to give them the skills and support they need to move forward with their lives and leave us behind,” says Nikki Weiler, Fund Developer at oneROOF.
In 2023, oneROOF served 136 new youth who had never previously accessed their services. Although the average age of the youth being served is 21, oneROOF has seen many under the age of 16. Forty-eight young people were housed in the supportive housing building as well that year. Through the Kindred Charitable Fund, oneROOF was able to make repairs to some of their supportive housing units, allowing their tenants to continue to live in a safe and supportive environment, while continuing to reach their goals. Kindred is pleased to help oneROOF Youth Services in their valuable work of building peaceful and just communities.