The agency that provides a variety of rooms and support services for the hundreds of homeless and at-risk young people in the region has a long wish list of items that it needs all year round. Money is at the top.
The Youth Emergency Shelter Society (YESS) went through some hard times this year when it discovered that most of its funding sources had dried up because of the economic downturn. That hasn’t stopped it from continuing to do its work and it has resorted to asking for assistance with a louder voice.
Sue Keating, the group’s opportunities manager, said programs are still hopping along, but there’s also a sense that the other shoe is about to drop.
“Our programming is operating really, really well, however, financially we’re facing some pretty big challenges right now. The recession hit us like a brick wall. We were doing all right until then. Every single stream of revenue that we have dropped off just drastically.”
She added they also rely heavily on donations in kind, meaning if you don’t have deep pockets you can still help by providing household and lifestyle goods like socks, bus tickets, lunch containers, and even juice boxes and granola bars. A full listing of items is available on the website under What We Really Need.
Jordan Starr is one of the life-skills counsellors operating out of the newly opened youth centre. He said the vast majority of the youth he works with are very receptive to the help, proving that the programs work at nipping problems in the bud. If it weren’t for YESS, many of these kids would spiral downward through vagrancy, crime and drugs, he said.
“I’m working with youth who are freshly homeless so I can paint a pretty good picture of what their lives will be like in 10 years if they keep making negative decisions or if they don’t try to get out of their situation.”
Starr added that many of the clients are there because of circumstances beyond their control so he shows them how to get control of their futures. “A lot of them don’t want to be there. It’s really easy working with individuals like that.”
To learn more about YESS or to find out how you can help, call 780-468-7070 or visit www.yess.org.
