{"id":15977,"date":"2022-04-09T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-09T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=15977"},"modified":"2023-02-24T08:08:08","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T16:08:08","slug":"evas-initiatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/evas-initiatives\/","title":{"rendered":"Eva\u2019s Initiatives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly 10,000 youth in Toronto \"Evas\"<\/a>struggle with housing instability each year. On any given night, about 2,000 of them call the streets home. Eva\u2019s Initiatives for Homeless Youth strives to prevent homelessness while facilitating a brighter future for homeless young people.<\/p>\n

Andrea Gunraj serves as the Senior Manager, Marketing and Communications at Eva\u2019s. She bears testimony to the dire situations that drive people out of their homes.<\/p>\n

Many misunderstand the catalysts for homelessness. \u201cThey assume young people are not following the rules or they\u2019re getting into things that they shouldn\u2019t. It can be a blame approach,\u201d reflects Gunraj.<\/p>\n

She continues, \u201cI think one of the things that people often misunderstand is why young people become homeless in the first place. In Toronto, there is a high number of people who experience issues at home like abuse. With 70 percent of young people, they identify that as one of the reasons for leaving home. And it\u2019s not easy to leave by any means when you don\u2019t have money or support. Often, there are really dire situations that push people to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is also a misconception that mainly youth from economically disadvantaged families are at high risk of homelessness. About 50 percent of homeless young people come from middle- and upper-income families.<\/p>\n

Eva\u2019s provides services<\/a> for young people and their families to keep the household healthy and intact if possible. Two shelters and a transitional housing facility, plus education and job training services, are available to help them make the transition to independence.<\/p>\n

Yardi<\/a> supports Eva\u2019s Satellite, Eva\u2019s Phoenix, and Eva\u2019s Place. The three facilities are home to 123 homeless youth aged 16-24 every night. Residents receive basic necessities such as food, clothing, and hygiene items. Staff members assess the young persons\u2019 mental, physical, and aspirational wellbeing. Youth then work one-on-one with staff members to develop a personalized action plan to reach short- and long-term goals.<\/p>\n

Once goals are established, youth participate in additional support programs. Harm Reduction assists youth struggling with substance abuse. Life Skills prepares youth for day-to-day actives, such as housing selection, household care, and managing finances. The Education and Employment Training Program at Eva\u2019s Phoenix, which Yardi supports, is one of the most in-demand programs.<\/p>\n

Gunraj explains, \u201cIt\u2019s about supporting youth to get an education, as well as build the skills they need to find jobs. One of the areas Eva\u2019s trains people for is construction and building maintenance. That\u2019s a booming industry in many cities across North America. Getting those types of jobs can be a powerful tool for securing somebody\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though there are several resources available to help youth get a fresh start, many young people yearn to repair relationships with their families. The Family Reconnect program facilitates the communication needed to rebuild relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough our Family Reconnect program, we find that many young people would love to work out the situation with their family. We recognize that home and family are still important to young people\u2019s wellbeing and their future success. Family Reconnect brings people together in ways that work for everybody. Even if they don\u2019t go back home, they can have healthy relationships with their family.\u201d<\/p>\n

In some cases, youth opt not to, or cannot, return home even after taking measures to restore relationships. These young adults continue forward on their journey towards independence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have our Independent Living program,\u201d says Gunraj. \u201cA lot of the time, the kids are leaving in a stressful situation and they\u2019re so young. They don\u2019t have the skills to cook and clean and pay rent on time. [The program] is about giving them the tools that we all need to have housing and keep it. This support can make the difference between someone being back in the system in a year or having a path towards future housing from now on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each case is different. Youth arrive with different skill sets, support systems, and mentalities that can affect their long-term success. Yet Gunraj is consistently filled with hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main thing that we find is that young people are resilient. They are incredibly motivated to seek a better life and future. That\u2019s the majority of young people who come to Eva\u2019s and work with our programs. They\u2019re so, so motivated. They want to be involved and change the conditions that got them in there in the first place. It\u2019s a positive thing that we\u2019re seeing,\u201d says Gunraj. \u201cIn terms of willingness, there is always a great willingness to arrive and have a better life in the future. We build on whatever the young person brings in, and that\u2019s what they often bring.\u201d<\/p>\n

To show your support for Eva\u2019s Initiatives for Homeless Youth, explore ways that you can get involved<\/a> and make a donation<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nearly 10,000 youth in Toronto struggle with housing instability each year. On any given night, about 2,000 of them call the streets home. Eva\u2019s Initiatives for Homeless Youth strives to prevent homelessness while facilitating a brighter future for homeless young people. Andrea Gunraj serves as the Senior Manager, Marketing and Communications at Eva\u2019s. She bears […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":440,"featured_media":15978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1717,3354],"tags":[652,1699,98],"class_list":["post-15977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-giving","category-team-yardi","tag-canada","tag-yardi-canada","tag-yardi-corporate-philanthropy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nearly 10,000 youth in Toronto struggle with housing instability each year. On any given night, about 2,000 of them call the streets home. 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