\u201cUnderstanding LGBTQ2S Youth Homelessness in York Region,\u201d<\/a> showed most support services are in Richmond Hill, difficult to access for those in the less populated north end of the region, leading many to Toronto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s crazy they have to leave the region to get housing support,\u201d Braithwaite said. \u201cThey have to leave whatever contacts they may have. They should be able to stay in their community like anyone else.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Newmarket realtor Wasim Jarrah is helping search for property that is both affordable and near public transit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe all need to be part of the solution to create affordable housing options for all, especially those less fortunate and that have fallen on hard times,\u201d Jarrah said. \u201cI am thankful to be playing a small role in that process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The LGBTQ2S home will be funded with help from the P & L Odette Charitable Foundation, a private foundation headquartered in Toronto. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Lou Odette, who took over the foundation created by his parents, said his focus is to support charities doing innovative work in the area of homelessness but are \u201ccash-limited.\u201d Blue Door\u2019s initiatives fit the bill, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Odette granted Blue Door $330,000 each year for three years for several housing programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe figured the best way was to support small charities and fund them for a number of years, as a more long-term relationship. If you\u2019re doing anything good or innovative one year is hardly enough to get it off the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The home, which Braithwaite hopes will open in September, will have space for two to four people from York or Simcoe regions and will provide semi-independent living, with a trained staff person on site during the day, and supportive programming to help them with employment, family reconnection, long-term housing or education issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMany of these youth suffered a lot of drama, rejection and violence,\u201d Braithwaite said. They could benefit from virtual psychotherapy \u2026 The No. 1 thing is we want them to feel safe.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Home similar to Toronto’s Sprott House to service teens and young adults in York Region, South Simcoe Jul 13, 2020 by Kim Zarzour It\u2019s tough being young and homeless; tougher still if you\u2019re LGBTQ2S, and if you\u2019re in York Region, you may face it tougher than most. That\u2019s why Michael Braithwaite, CEO of Blue Door, has embarked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2602,"comment_status":"open","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":[9,16,17,14,18],"class_list":["post-2601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-community","tag-lgbtq2s","tag-south-simcoe","tag-support","tag-supportive-housing"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t