{"id":10056,"date":"2025-03-28T14:33:32","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T18:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/?p=10056"},"modified":"2025-04-28T14:37:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T18:37:23","slug":"from-shelter-to-shelter-and-still-no-place-to-stay-a-night-walking-in-the-shoes-of-homeless-youth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/from-shelter-to-shelter-and-still-no-place-to-stay-a-night-walking-in-the-shoes-of-homeless-youth\/","title":{"rendered":"‘From shelter to shelter and still no place to stay’: A night walking in the shoes of homeless youth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Posted On: March 28th, 2025, Posted By: Scarlett Liu, NewmarketToday, Original Article.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reporter Scarlett Liu participated in the 12th annual 360\u00b0Experience, stepping into the chilling reality of youths without homes in York Region, where all the shelters are full<\/p>\n\n\n\n

eporter Scarlett Liu participated in the 12th annual 360\u00b0Experience, stepping into the realities faced by youth experiencing homelessness.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 6 may be known as National Oreo Cookie Day or White Chocolate Cheesecake Day, but for me, it was also the night I got a glimpse into what it\u2019s like to be homeless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the 360\u00b0Experience, an annual event raising awareness about youth homelessness in York Region, I spent a night braving the cold, navigating the uncertainty of finding shelter, and experiencing firsthand the barriers many homeless youth face daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the night, I was paired with Rhonda Leeson, chair of 360\u00b0kids board of directors. We were assigned a scenario: a young couple \u2014 a 20-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man \u2014 struggling with addiction. Working minimum-wage jobs with mounting expenses, we had been evicted from our tiny basement apartment after falling behind on rent and had nowhere to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our first stop was 360\u00b0kids Home Base in Richmond Hill, a youth services hub. Next to it is an emergency housing facility, where youth between 16 and 26 can stay for up to four months and receive necessities like food and clothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, there were no available beds for us that night. Staff offered us bus tickets and suggested we try Inn From the Cold, a shelter in Newmarket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After walking in the freezing cold for 30 minutes because we missed a transfer bus, we arrived at Inn From the Cold, only to be told they couldn’t take us in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe turn away about three or four clients every night,\u201d said Alexandra Dean, the shelter\u2019s manager. She expressed sympathy, but the facility\u2019s 30 beds \u201424 for men and just six for women \u2014 were already full. Demand far outweighs availability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We then moved on to Blue Door and Belinda\u2019s Place, but, as expected, they were also at capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was already after midnight, and the temperature had dropped to -13C with the wind chill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Desperate for warmth, we were told to try “bus napping,” a common tactic among homeless who buy a single bus ticket and ride all night until they are kicked off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we didn\u2019t make it that far. Instead, we tried to rest outside closed retail stores and churches but with only a roof for shelter, the wind cut through us. ATM rooms along Yonge Street weren\u2019t a safe option either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 2 a.m., we managed to reach Richmond Hill bus terminal, where we finally collapsed onto the frozen ground, exhausted, and tried to rest for a few hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t devastating when you know you\u2019ll go home and sleep in a warm bed tomorrow,\u201d said Clovis Grant, CEO of 360\u00b0kids. \u201cBut what if this were your reality, day after day?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As some of the other participants reflected on the experience, realizing that while they have jobs right now, with the rapidly increasing cost of living, they could be just a few paycheques away from homelessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the 360\u00b0Experience is designed as a fundraising event, it\u2019s much more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a wake-up call to the realities of youth homelessness,\u201d Grant said. \u201cEvery dollar raised goes directly toward providing housing, support services, and opportunities for young people in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To combat homelessness not only in York Region, Karen Al Massad, director of emergency housing and supports at Blue Door, pointed out that more shelters aren\u2019t the solution, we need systemic change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you know there’s one country in the world with virtually no homelessness? Finland.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Massad shared that she learned at a conference in Ottawa that this North European country has drastically reduced homelessness by providing affordable housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2008, the Finnish government introduced the Housing First policy, aimed at eradicating long-term homelessness. Statistics show that from 2008 to 2022, the number of individuals experiencing long-term homelessness in Finland decreased by 68 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2011 study by Tampere University of Technology found that providing housing and support services saves society between $16,000 and $56,000 US per person per year by preventing evictions and reducing the need for healthcare and social assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the 360\u00b0Experience 2025 wrapped up with more than 224 participants raising $373,000 for 360\u00b0kids\u2019 programs and services, donations are still being accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more or contribute to the cause, visit 360kids.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted On: March 28th, 2025, Posted By: Scarlett Liu, NewmarketToday, Original Article. Reporter Scarlett Liu participated in the 12th annual 360\u00b0Experience, stepping into the chilling reality of youths without homes in York Region, where all the shelters are full eporter Scarlett Liu participated in the 12th annual 360\u00b0Experience, stepping into the realities faced by youth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":10057,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t