KINGSTON YOUTH SHELTER PROJECT INCORPORATED
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Mission Statement
Mission statement: We provide a supportive, stable environment, and the tools and life skills to help youth emerge from their immediate or ongoing housing crisis. Vision statement: We believe that together we can reduce homelessness by giving youth the means to repair relationships at home or live independently during the transition to adulthood.
About This Cause
The Kingston Youth Shelter (KYS) is a non-profit agency, established in 1999, that provides temporary emergency shelter for young women and men ages 16 through 24 years. In 2015 it expanded its mandate to provide transitional beds and life skills programming for youth ages 16-24. The KYS is running a successful program, Family Mediation, providing support to families to help address family breakdown, youth/parent conflict, and general communication difficulties that may leave youth at a greater risk of entering homelessness. Additionally, KYS offers the services of a Prevention/Diversion Worker to help youth navigate the complexities of securing safe housing in the Kingston rental market. These services include accessing appropriate financial and support services. The Kingston Youth Shelter provides these services through a compliment of 3 separate homes in the Kingston area (234 Brock St, 212 Yonge St. and a 394 Elmwood Ave.). All services provide a safe environment with in-house counselling appropriate to reintegrating youth within the employment and social contexts. It is the only shelter in Kingston exclusively devoted to youth. Young people account for one in five of the people living in Canada’s homeless shelters. In 2013, this number was even higher in Kingston at one in three. Each year, approximately 200 youth seek assistance from KYS. Our services are available to homeless or precariously housed (“couch surfing”) youth between the ages of 16-24. We provide youth with the acceptance, empathy, and support that they need in order to transition successfully into young adulthood and ensuring homeless youth do not become homeless adults. Youth who arrive at our doorstep come from all walks of life. There are many factors that may lead to youth homelessness such as: family conflict, poverty, trauma, abuse, human trafficking, mental health, disability, additions, or conflict with the law. Hope for the future is almost always beyond their energy level. A solid base of stability including shelter, counsellors, peers and life skills is needed to begin the process of self-motivating and rebuilding. The age-group we assist is at a vulnerable, impressionable time of life. Meaningful intervention to reduce the turbulence of each youth’s current circumstances is achieved through providing a safe and healthy base from which to rebuild. This may reduce the potential for more serious problems down the road. With guidance from the trained professionals at KYS, youth can overcome their barriers and move on to live happy, health lives.