Youth Hostel and drop in resource centre: Open 24/7 - 17 Centre Street, in St. Catharines ( View Map)
Coverage of the Push for Change through downtown St. Catharines. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the RAFT and The Push for Change Tuesday, November 1!
Join Joe for a 4KM walk in support of The RAFT on Tuesday, November 1st, 2016 from 11:45am - 2pm. Starting in downtown St. Catharines and ending at 240 Geneva St. The goal is to raise awareness and funds to prevent, reduce and end youth homelessness. If Joe can walk 9,000 kilometres - can you walk 4?
Recently I had the pleasure of attending a Family Finding Conference during the month of February. Held by the Children’s Aid Society of Oxford County, located in Woodstock Ontario, it was a week-long training termed “boot camp”. We were incredibly lucky to have Kevin Campbell, an internationally known youth permanency expert, founder of the Center for Family Finding and Youth Connectedness and developer of the Family Finding model instructing us.
The RAFT's Jessie Rive took part in conducting a major homelessness survey throughout the Niagara region on Tuesday April 5. A team of about 90 volunteers set out to count the number of homeless individuals living on the street or in the shelter system to get a clearer picture of the homeless population of Niagara.
“A stitch in time saves nine” “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, we’ve all heard these idioms and their meaning is clear, it’s easier to fix something before its broken than to fix it afterwards. What’s not clear and often goes unappreciated is that knowing where the stitch goes, and knowing what can prevent the ailment. This often requires a greater understanding of the problem than treating the symptoms.
Over twenty years ago the RAFT began offering services to youth through its drop-in centre. A small group of concerned people decided that they would make a difference in the lives of a few young people. They determined that young people shouldn’t have to live outside either physically or emotionally.
The Homeless Hub has just published an E-book, Exploring Effective Systems Responses to Homelessness, which can be found and downloaded here http://homelesshub.ca/systemsresponses.
Every year, United Way invests in different priority areas that strengthen our community. In 2015, one of their priority areas was All That Kids Can Be. The initiative funds programs for children and youth age 21 and younger and is designed to encourage children and youth to reach their full potential.
Traditionally, access to supports and services is difficult in rural and lightly populated areas. Niagara’s layout often forced youth to relocate to receive the proper services. Through the RAFT’s Youth Reconnect program, our workers can bring services and supports to a youth in their home community anywhere in the Niagara region. More importantly, youth can remain with their peer support group of friends and family while attending the school they grew up in. Let us tell you a story...
Ontario is moving forward with it's Social Impact Bonds (SIBs). The RAFT was one of four organizations selected to run a pilot project based on their SIB idea.
The Home Depot Canada Foundation launches TradeWorx to help youth experiencing homelessness establish careers in skilled trades.
There are many ways that you can help The Raft programs and services for youth.
