York agency gets boost to fight youth homelessness

360Kids program is receiving $300,000 from the United Way Clovis Grant, CEO of 360Kids, said the new funding will go toward early intervention efforts.

Clovis Grant has spent his career working in the youth social service sector and he knows that for young people, dealing with homelessness goes beyond finding a shelter when the weather gets cold.

“Homelessness for our young people is all the time,” said the executive director of 360Kids, a Richmond Hill-based nonprofit organization that’s been providing assistance to homeless youth or those on the verge of becoming homeless in York Region for the past 30 years.

“And it captures everybody. It could be those with mental health issues, those who’ve been kicked out their homes, those who have addiction issues, families struggling with unaffordable housing, problems in schools, unemployment, these are all drivers of youth homelessness.”

360Kids is one of seven community agencies that recently received funding from the United Way of Greater Toronto to continue tackling various issues tied to poverty, from domestic violence and women’s rights to food insecurity and mental health.

The group will receive $300,000 over three years to help co-ordinate efforts in addressing the growing issue of homelessness among youth in York.

Other groups benefitting from the $1.5million funding boost include the Canadian Mental Health Association, The 519 community centre, Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre, and Toronto Neighbourhood Centres and Agincourt Community Services Association.

Grant said the funds for 360Kids will go toward helping his organization coordinate with other youth service providers in the region in an effort to build “housing stabilization” for young peo- ple: intervene early before kids end up being homeless, and help shorten time for those who are already homeless.

“We’re doing that already but we’ve got disjointed systems and many sectors working in isolation,” he said. “What we want to do is actually talk more closely and bring those systems together and align better and produce results.”

He said York Region is challenging, in that it has both rural and urban neighbourhoods, and addressing youth homelessness requires a different approach in Markham or Richmond Hill compared to East Gwillimbury or King township (rural communities with limited access to resources).

360Kids runs 23 programs across the region, all geared at supporting young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. It has two group homes where youth can go to receive temporary shelter and support, but it’s a constant struggle due to an increase in housing demand, Grant said.

Last year, Grant said the agency had to turn away more than 700 youth from its emergency housing due to lack of space.

“There’s an ongoing issue that needs to be looked at in terms of poverty being a big issue, but also resources for those who are struggling and young people getting caught in that struggle,” he said.

There’s an estimated 300 youth between the ages of 16 and 24 in York who are homeless, he said.

“There’s a growing number of people in our region who are low income, and fewer and fewer people in the middle and upper class. There’s a growing divide that’s happening.”