About YWS | Youth Without Shelter

Youth Without Shelter is an emergency residence and referral agency serving homeless youth. We are dedicated to providing shelter and support programs for ... WhoWeAre AboutYWS WEAREGUIDEDBYTHEYOUNGPEOPLEWESERVE VISION Endinghomelessness…oneyouthatatime,onestepatatime. OURMISSION Empoweringyouthfacinghomelessnesstoreachindividualpotential. Everyonehastherighttoafuturethatisnotdictatedbytheirpast. HISTORY In1986,agroupofteachersandguidancecounsellorssawthelackofsafe,emergencyhousingandsupportprogramsfortheirstudentsinneed,anddecidedtojointogethertocreateYouthWithoutShelter.SincethattimeYWShashelpedthousandsofyouthexperiencinghomelessnesstobuildtheirconfidenceandlife-skillsandtofindlong-termstablehousingandjobs.  LocatedinthecommunityofNorthEtobicoke(westendofToronto),weprovideasaferefugeforyouthages16to24who–oftenthroughcircumstancesbeyondtheircontrol–havefoundthemselveswithoutahometocalltheirown.Manyarehomelessbeforetheageof16,andsomearevictimsofabuseorabandonment,orsimplyhavenofamilyatall. WHYWEAREDIFFERENT Sinceourfoundingover30yearsago,YWShasdevelopedamodelofcarethatidentifiesandbuildsonourclients’strengthsandresiliency.Wedothisbyprovidingthemwithopportunitiestodeveloptheirconfidenceandkeyskillsthey’llneedtonavigatelifeandovercomechallenges.Wedon’tjustprovideawarmbedforanight;weofferpracticaladviceandguidancefromtrainedstaff,wrap-aroundsupportprograms,andasafe,comfortablehome.Ourgoalistomoveyoungpeopleoutofhomelessness,towardsindependent,stableliving. Wehavebecomeknownasahousewhereayouth’scultureandneedsareunderstood,andwhereeachyouthcanreceiveindividual-needsbasedsupport,practicalguidance,andtrainingthroughawrap-aroundmodelofprogramming.Alloperationsaretrauma-informedanddesignedtobeyouth-centric,buildself-esteemandresiliency,andfocusonpersonalstrengths.  EMERGENCYRESIDENTIALPROGRAM LIFESKILLSPROGRAM EMPLOYMENTPROGRAM HOUSING&AFTER-CAREPROGRAM STAYINSCHOOLPROGRAM EDUCATIONALOUTREACHPROGRAM STRATEGICAPPROACH:STRENGTH-­BASED(RESILIENCE)MODELOFCARE BuildinguponasolidbaseofprogramsandservicesthestrategicapproachatYWSistoensurethateveryyouthhasthesupportandencouragementtodeveloptotheirindividualpotential.Allprogramsandoperationsaredesignedandconductedinamannerthatisyouthcentric,andwebelievethatourStrength-based(Resilience)ModelofCare isthefoundationtothebestpossiblesuccessfulfuturefortheyoungpeopleinourcare. YouthwhocometoYWSarrivewiththelabelof“homeless”withallthenegativeconnotationsthatcomealongwithit,consequentlyself-esteemandconfidenceislow.TheStrength-based(Resilience)ModelofCarefocusesonyoungpeople’sstrengths:buildingasafecommunitywithinourwallswheretalking,listeningandsharingareproductive;andgivingyouththeopportunitiestodeveloptheintegralskillsandconfidencetonavigatetheworldandovercometheirchallenges. Clickhere tohearaboutYouthWithoutShelter’sapproachtobuildingresiliencyineachyouth. TRAUMAINFORMEDCARE YouthWithoutShelterprovidestraumainformedcareasacoreprincipleofoperations.Forserviceproviderstobecomeeffectivewithindividualsintheircare,therehastobe‘needsbased’planning,notonlyataclientlevelbutataprogramandsystemlevelalso.ThemajorityoftheyouthYWSserveshavehadtodealwithoverwhelmingpersonalexperiencesthatmayhavechangedtheirperceptionaboutlife.Ourgoalistohaveasupportsystemthatwillempoweryoungpeopletosucceed,andhelpthemtransitionfromapost-traumaticstatetopost-traumaticgrowth. 2019–­2024YWSSTRATEGICPLAN OnWednesday,June5,2019welaunchedournew‘500in5’StrategicPlan2019-2024. Thisfive-yearstrategicplandefinesbothourintendedimpactandtheoryofchange,aswellasanewmissionandguidingprinciples.Itisanexcitingandambitiousplanthatbalancestheneedtogrowwiththeneedsofouryouthclients.Itisoptimisticandinnovative–trulyreflectingthespiritoftheorganizationandallthoseinvolvedinit. OURGOAL:Between2019-2024,500youthimpactedbyYWSwillexitoutofhomelessnesstostableliving. YWSStrategicPlan2019-2024 500in5Video  2019/2020ANNUALREPORT Our2019/2020AnnualReportisnowavailable! Torequestadigitalcopyofour2019-­20AnnualReportpleasecontact [email protected] Pleaseclicktheimagebelowtoviewthereport. View 2020-2021 AnnualReport View 2019-2020 AnnualReport View 2018-2019 AnnualReport View 2017-2018 AnnualReport View 2016-2017 AnnualReport View 2015-2016 AnnualReport View 2014-2015 AnnualReport BookAnEducationalWorkshop SubscribeToOurNewsletterJoinourmailinglisttoreceivethelatestnewsandupdatesfromourYWS. SUBSCRIBE! YouhaveSuccessfullySubscribed! PinItonPinterest