News release

TORONTO, ONTARIO — A youth emergency shelter has been granted funding for staff to undergo training that will enable them to best meet the needs of the young people who stay at Youth Without Shelter (YWS). This new project, created in partnership with the YWS and the Government of Canada, will help improve the essential services provided to targeted youth in the community.

Roy Cullen, MP for Etobicoke North, on behalf of the Honourable Claudette Bradshaw, Minister of Labour and Federal Co-ordinator of Homelessness, today announced that the Government of Canada is funding $30,245 under the youth component of the National Homelessness Initiative for efforts to help alleviate homelessness in the community.

“Ensuring that homeless and at-risk youth receive the support and assistance they need has always been the mission of the staff at Youth Without Shelter,” said Mr. Cullen. “Providing the staff with this comprehensive training will ensure that they are able to continue to provide this kind of support.”

Funding for this project will enable the ten staff members at Youth Without Shelter to attend training sessions designed to enhance their knowledge and skills, better preparing them to deal with the youth who stay at the shelter. The training will address cultural sensitivity, cross-cultural mental health, eviction prevention, substance abuse counselling, and bipolar disorders. This training will directly benefit the homeless youth by enabling staff to better understand and meet the youth’s needs.

“It is imperative that we, as an emergency shelter for homeless youth, are trained and up to date with new approaches to meet our client's diverse needs,” said Dan Albergaria Executive Director of YWS. “We are excited about the opportunity and look forward to enhancing our abilities and programs to better assist our youth.”

Since the National Homelessness Initiative was launched in December 1999, the Government of Canada has supported close to 200 projects to alleviate homelessness in Toronto. The National Homelessness Initiative is working towards making a difference in addressing this issue by using a community-based approach to help identify local solutions to homelessness.

Funding for the project is part of the Government of Canada's national $753 million Homelessness Initiative. Under the Initiative, the Government of Canada is providing $59 million to expand existing federal programs for youth to address homelessness. This includes a number of initiatives under Canada's Youth Employment Strategy, such as the Youth Internship program, that provides unemployed, under-employed and out-of-school youth with the opportunity to acquire meaningful work experience and transferable skills.

Funding for the Initiative was provided for in the December 2001 federal Budget and is built into the existing fiscal framework.

For more information on the Government of Canada’s National Homelessness Initiative, visit our web site at: www.hrdc.gc.ca/homelessness

For more information, contact:
Bob Howsam Government of Canada (416) 954-7810	David Klug Minister Bradshaw’s Office (819) 953-5646	Dan Albergaria Youth Without Shelter (416) 748-0110