Housing students from the University of Guelph met Oct. 13 with social service providers and housing professionals from across Ontario to learn about best practices for youth housing initiatives.
Participants at the Wellington-Guelph Youth Housing Forum explored if strategies from other communities could be adopted to meet youth housing needs in Wellington County.
The event was organized by the County of Wellington, the City of Guelph, University of Guelph and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
“The County of Wellington is pleased to be a partner in hosting the Wellington-Guelph Youth Housing Forum,” said Warden Joanne Ross-Zuj. “Providing safe and affordable housing for our youth is essential in helping them become productive members of our community.”
More than 80 participants listened as officials spoke about on-going efforts to assist at-risk youth in Guelph and Wellington County.
“The continued interest in affordable youth housing projects is a clear indicator of the commitment that the City of Guelph has to enhancing the lives of its youth and realizing their true potential,” said June Hofland, Guelph city councillor and co-chairman of the Guelph and Wellington task force for poverty elimination.
As part of the response addressing youth housing and services, University of Guelph’s award-winning Service Learning in Housing course connects students to those in need, which fosters understanding of how the private sector is not able to meet the needs of lower-income households. “As real estate practitioners, mostly working in the private sector, our students will need to be part of the solution when they graduate. This year’s forum is particularly relevant to the students as it deals with housing problems facing youth their age, and younger,” said Jane Londerville, of the University of Guelph. The forum partners hope that discussion between students and service providers will spark innovative approaches that enhance youth services in Guelph and in Wellington County. “We are pleased to support community-based youth housing initiatives,” said Peter Friedmann, General Manager of the Ontario Region and Managing Director of Securitization, of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. “Every community has a distinctive mix of issues and opportunities; sharing ideas is vital to the development of opportunities that respond to a community’s specific youth housing needs.”
University of Guelph students were introduced to social service providers who shared successful strategies that address youth poverty and homelessness in other communities and support local community objectives.
Brampton’s Peel Youth Village and London’s Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) showcased their housing and services for youth. Both transitional organizations provide guidance and support, and help youth develop employability skills. Several youth who have been helped by these organizations relayed how these services positively impacted their lives.
“There was a point where I didn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel; everything that could go wrong, did go wrong,” said Rushauna Beckles, Peel Youth Village member.
