The Threshold Housing Society is making a difference for homeless youth over the holidays, thanks in part to a financial boost from the Times Colonist Christmas Fund.
The fund is again supporting a wide range of organizations this year in an effort to help as many people as possible with donations gathered from the community. About two dozen received grants in 2020.
For Threshold, which marked its 30th anniversary last year, its efforts are all about assisting young people ages 15 to 24 who need a roof over their heads.
A 2018 Point in Time Count in Greater Victoria found there were at least 156 homeless youth in the region, but there are many more than that, the group says.
About half of those counted first became homeless before they were 25.
The society runs four communal homes and 18 individual units. The homes have someone who stays overnight and a support worker during the day, while the units have access to a support worker and life-skills programming.
Threshold development manager Jasmine Campbell said the society aims to prevent adult homelessness by providing safe housing, supportive services and community to at-risk youth.
Individuals the society serves can include youth who are fleeing violence or abuse, or those who have aged out of the foster-care system, she said.
Campbell said about 1,000 youth age out of foster care in B.C. each year.
Youth who don’t have a place to stay are sometimes referred to as “the hidden homeless,” Campbell said. “These are youth that are couch-surfing or they’re stuck in unsafe homes.”
She said Threshold helps about 45 youth at a time, making it the region’s largest youth housing provider. More than 100 have sought help since November 2020 — 30 are currently on the wait list, and there is a nine-month wait time for assistance.
One key element is a program called Foundations, which teaches youth important life skills to help them live independently, Campbell said.
“So it’s budgeting, it’s cooking, it’s cleaning, it’s learning how to be a good tenant.”
Threshold has an initiative it calls Shine a Light on Youth Homelessness to help spread awareness of the “ongoing crisis” it deals with every day, she said.
Campbell said Christmas can be a sensitive and challenging time for many of the youth, so the aim is to help them have good memories of the season, including decorating the society’s homes.
“We’re really focused on making the holidays a magical time for the youth we currently have,” she said. “It’s getting them presents, it’s doing movie nights, it’s doing craft nights.”
The Times Colonist Christmas Fund dates back to 1956 and was first known as the 500 Fund — because the goal was to raise money for 500 of the neediest families in the region. The name became the 1000 Fund in 1980 and the Christmas Fund in 2000.
jbell@timescolonist.com
How to donate
You can donate by going to the Times Colonist Christmas Fund fundraising page at timescolonist.com/donate. That will take you to the CanadaHelps website, which is open 24 hours a day and provides an immediate tax receipt.
Or mail a cheque to the Times Colonist Christmas Fund, 201-655 Tyee Road, Victoria, B.C. V9A 6X5. You can also use your credit card by phoning 250-995-4438 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.
