Youth Without Shelter

The Helix Project

The Helix Project Logo

Here at YWS, our mission is to empower youth to reach their individual potential. We strive to end homelessness, one youth at a time, by providing emergency residential supports and services to youth aged 16-24 within our community. Since our founding over 30 years ago, YWS has developed a model of care that identifies and builds on our clients’ strengths and resiliency. We do this by providing them with opportunities to develop their confidence and key skills they’ll need to navigate life and overcome challenges. We don’t just provide a warm bed for a night; we offer practical advice and guidance from trained staff, wrap-around support programs, and a safe, comfortable home. Our goal is to move young people out of homelessness, towards independent, stable living.

In 2019, we developed a Strategic Plan that aimed to assist YWS youth to safely exit out of homelessness to stable living. Stable living was defined by lived voices as “income, a roof, a support network, and the opportunity to pursue interests or goals”. Within our 2019 Strategic Plan, we vowed to be adaptive and agile, to be innovative and take calculated risks, to be open to change, and to work in partnership with other organizations when necessary to obtain best outcomes. We have stayed true to our promises made, and are very excited to announce our new initiative focused on safe and affordable housing within our community: The Helix Project.

The Helix Project is an exciting new initiative designed to enhance our vision to end youth homelessness. It will guide YWS as we evolve our existing programs and services and take our mission to empower youth to reach their full potential to a whole new level.

As we move forward, YWS will continue to expand to provide at-risk youth with an equal opportunity to excel and to offer safe, supportive and affordable shelter for those in need. The Helix Project will encompass the mission and vision of YWS, while incorporating new solutions for housing within the GTA and beyond. Founded upon the principles that guide our work, The Helix Project will lead us on this journey of evolution as YWS continues to grow over the years to come.  Together, we will end youth homelessness, one youth at a time, one step at a time.

“We aim to foster new, innovative solutions to increase the availability and accessibility of transitional and supportive housing, and to provide advanced opportunities to empower and support those in need.”

Questions?

Please contact YWS Executive Director, Steve Doherty, at executivedirector@yws.on.ca

The Helix

The Helix symbol is a symbol of growth, evolution, and strength, providing structure for plants and animals, allowing them to pass through environmental challenges. When a root of a plant comes across a barrier during growth, it will summon more energy to that part of the plant in order to work to create a helix. When faced with a challenge, the root’s response is to find a way, and it does so by twisting and twirling to conquer its challenge, evolving into something strong, stable, and truly beautiful.

In its very nature, the helix is the definition of resilience. Resiliency is the ability to withstand, adapt and grow in the face of adversity, trauma, and tragedy. It is the ability to bounce back despite all odds. At Youth Without Shelter, our residents are the epitome of resiliency.

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