E There are many reasons why youth become homeless but there are also supports
ven though we don’t see homelessness, it doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Tonight, a young person won’t know where they will be sleeping.
Tomorrow night a different young person will likely be facing the same dilemma. Or maybe it's the same person.
Trying to help young people through this scenario is SHYFT youth services in Yarmouth, where tonight some youth who might otherwise not have had a safe place to stay will have one here.
SHYFT offers temporary residential options and support for young people aged 16 to 24 – although issues of homelessness can impact people of any age.
And it’s not just homelessness, it’s also housing insecurity.
“There are folks that are one unexpected expense away from being evicted. Defaulting on their mortgage,” says Adam Dolliver, executive director of SHYFT.
“Their car breaks down and they have to pay to repair it. Then they might not have money for rent. There are folks in our community, seniors especially, who are put in very dire situations where they need to choose between am I going to pay for heating oil this month or am I going to pay for medication or my groceries? We call that heat or eat,” he says.
“That’s a very real problem in our community and most people don’t realize just how bad it can be for our neighbours, and just how close our neighbours are to being homeless.”
But there are youth already finding themselves in this situation.
The SHYFT house, with help and support from the
Adam Dolliver, the executive director of SHYFT youth services, says they are many reasons that youth become homeless or at-risk.
Tri-County Women’s Centre, recently took part in the Coldest Night of the Year, fundraising to raise money so it can assist youth. It’s an annual walk that went virtual this year because of COVID. But what didn’t change was the message.
The event is aimed at drawing
Success stories do happen. Read more about SHYFT's successes – big and small – in next week's Tri-County Vanguard.
attention to the fact that at any given time – including on the coldest of nights – there are people struggling because they don’t have a place to live.
WHAT WE DON’T SEE
In rural Nova Scotia people often don’t think homelessness
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exists because they don’t see it.
Even when SHYFT house first opened its doors in 2011 there were those who didn’t see the need.
“The initial reaction we got, a lot, was there are no homeless people in Yarmouth. The reason people thought that is because homelessness in rural
Nova Scotia looks very different from homelessness in Halifax,” Dolliver says.
“In Halifax you see people sleeping on the streets. You see people panhandling. We typically don’t see that here. What we see is couch surfing. A youth will stay with a friend until they’ve worn out their welcome and they just go from place to place to place.”
And when they are forced to be resourceful, they will be.
“They could be breaking into and sleeping in one of the abandoned buildings or houses in town. I’ve had youth that have told me they’ve slept in hunting camps in the woods. Sometimes they’ve slept on boats that are not locked on the wharf, or wharf vehicles that are left unlocked,” Dolliver says. When there is no risk of freezing sometimes they will sleep outdoors.
But Dolliver says a problem in finding these solutions is it makes homelessness “a non-public phenomenon.” Therefore the general public doesn’t realize it’s happening.
In saying that, even the SHYFT house itself at 6 Trinity Place in Yarmouth is not meant to be the permanent solution. Rather, it offers support to those aged 16 to 24 who are experiencing homelessness; or who are living in challenging, unstable or harmful situations.
There are seven beds available and a young person can live here for up to three months.
“During those three months, this is their home. Their bed is guaranteed.
They don’t’ have to worry about where they are sleeping that night,” says Dolliver. “We work with them on a one-to-one basis to see how we can get them to independent living.”
There are incremental steps. The first could be building a resume. The next to apply for jobs. Once they have a job they can start looking for an apartment.
“At the end of the three months they’re hopefully in a position where they can transfer into their own apartment, or a boarding house or moving in with another family or returning to their home,” Dolliver says.
WHAT’S BEHIND YOUTH HOMELESSNESS?
What brings youth to
SHYFT in the first place?
Dolliver says it is a question that is repeatedly asked to which there is no one answer because everyone’s story is unique to them.
You could have youth who are fleeing violence and abuse at home.
You may have youth who have come out as LGBTQ+ and their parents have put them out.
You have youth who are experiencing trouble with the legal system and breaking the law.
You have youth involved with and struggling through addictions.
There are situations where the youth themselves are abusive and aggressive towards their parents, guardians or siblings.
And on it goes.
A common thread in many cases may be that the parents or guardians have told the young person to leave. Sometimes it’s too overwhelming to have them stay. Other times its easier just to have them go.
“We don’t place blame on why they are homeless. When they come here we don’t say, ‘Well that’s your fault or that’s your parents’ fault.’” Dolliver says. “We say, ‘Okay, you’re in this situation, let’s find a solution.’”
There are usually between 50 to 80 youth who turn to SHYFT each year. Sometimes they turn here more than once. There are another 200 or so each year that SHYFT works with on an outreach basis. These can be former residents or those preparing to live on their own. Or it can be other at-risk youth in the community who aren’t homeless, but close to it.
Assisting them is SHYFT outreach support worker Wanda Doucette, who helps them to access services. She provides help with filling out forms and paperwork, to prep for job interviews, to know how to dress for success for a job interview. If they have no transportation to get to medical or other appointments, she’ll help with that.
“Knowing when they leave here that we’re still here for them is a big thing,” she says. “It takes that burden off of them knowing that they can still reach out and that someone is still here to walk with them and to help them with success. That’s our whole goal – to help them succeed.”
NO SHAME IN REACHING OUT
Still, success may not always be easy because there can sometimes be a stigma associated with having been homeless or having lived at SHYFT house – particularly when applying for jobs or apartments.
This saddens Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood, who says it takes courage to admit you can’t do something by yourself or get through it alone.
“It’s the bravest thing someone can do, to ask for help, and as a community we need to encourage that, not the opposite,” she says.
Mood has pulled together people and resources in the past through an initiative called the Mayor’s Taskforce, where people come together to discuss issues and search for solutions. Housing and food insecurity are topics that have been explored. It’s where the 100 Meals initiative the town has held in previous years came from
– the thought being that if organizations and individuals could volunteer to provide a community meal 100 days in a row it could take off some of the pressure of some people in deciding between rent, heat or a meal.
And while the town itself is also working to tackle issues like affordable housing, the mayor admits many social issues fall under provincial and federal jurisdictions that municipal units can’t fully take on themselves.
“But it’s our job to advocate provincially and federally to make sure that services are available,” she says, adding they need to advocate for more mental health resources and for Community Services to take an in-depth look at what is going on throughout the province. “And certainly the town is doing everything it can to increase the housing stock.”
A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD
How much impact more affordable housing units can have on youth homelessness is unknown. Access to housing is an across-the-board concern for people of all ages and for individuals and families. But while it may not target youth directly, maybe it can open things up more so everyone benefits, Dolliver says.
He says it’s not just about having a roof over one’s head. It’s about people living in places that are not substandard and don’t have broken windows or no heat in the winter.
Dolliver says they work with the youth who come to the SYHFT house to not only know what their responsibilities are as a tenant, but also to know their rights.
“We need to make sure these young people don’t get into a situation where they get evicted in the winter, because then what happens?” he says. “We only have seven beds here and we could have seven youth. What happens when the eighth one becomes homeless?”
Dolliver doesn’t necessarily begrudge landlords who charge higher rents. They need to make a living and have bills to pay too. But if high rents become a barrier to people finding a place to live, or having to accept living in substandard conditions, then it’s a problem he says.
“When we look at homelessness, we can’t look at it in a vacuum. It’s not just about a roof over your head. It’s about is that home safe? Is it adequate housing?” Dolliver says.
Still, in the end, there is no one answer, just as there is no one reason behind a person becoming homeless.
“Every situation is different. I often say if we have a thousand kids come to SHYFT, we’re going to have a thousand different stories as to what happened,” Dolliver says.
“Any reason you might imagine for a youth might be homeless we’ve seen it here, or we will see it in the future.”