Nobody chooses homelessness. The reasons that cause youth to become homeless are complex, and most often caused by circumstances outside of their control. The trauma that causes a youth to become homeless in the first place is compounded by the experiences they have while living unhoused, when they are at greater risk of exploitation, abuse, assault, mental health and addictions issues, and suicide. Youth in the midst of their housing crisis are often in “survival mode” and the work of processing the trauma they’ve faced is put on hold while they search for their next meal, or a safe place to spend the night. And, once they have achieved stability, they are hit with the realities of all they’ve experienced.

DYS support does not end with a youth’s “move into housing date”. Our caseworkers continue to offer support through a stabilization period. And, through our partnerships with four private mental health providers (including one that specializes in offering support to racialized youth and one that specializes in supporting the LGBTQ2SIA+ community), we connect youth the resources they need to process all that they have been through, and to help them ensure that homelessness is an experience they once encountered, and not the defining characteristic of their identity.