Youth homelessness starts to level out, yet 300 still struggle in Edmonton

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By Shari Narine
Windspeaker Contributor
EDMONTON

Kordell Cardinal, 21, was one of about 300 youth who attended YEG Youth Connect on Thursday at the Boyle Street Plaza in downtown Edmonton.

The fourth annual event connected young people between the ages of 13 to 29 currently experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness with support services. 

Cardinal, who came to the event with iHuman Youth Society, is not currently experiencing homelessness, but he knows what it’s all about.

He said he’s lived on the street off and on for a total of two years. He has had a roof over his head for the last three months and has applied for housing and feels lucky about that.

“I’ve been homeless primarily because of addictions. I lack the capability to act responsibly,” he said. “But things have changed. I’m surrounding myself with a lot of positive role models.”

Cardinal is also getting counselling.

Naomi Jacko, 18, who was at the event with her Inner City High School class, says while she’s in a “good, stable situation” right now, she recognizes that other youth aren’t as fortunate as she is.

“I think it’s important to have events like this to empower youth to get out of any trouble they’re in,” she said.

Jackie Bolalin, 19, also from Inner City High School, says she was surprised to learn about all the programs available to youth, who are down and out.

“It’s really nice and I hope it helps somebody who wants to change for the better. If I see somebody, I’ll let them know,” she said.

Bolalin is living with friends and has support, which she says is important.

“It’s disturbing to think that other (kids) don’t have any of the support I have,” she said.

Natasha Gougeon and Jill Galipeau, who work with the Indigenous Wellness Clinic, say it’s important that youth know help is available to them and they can attend the wellness clinic on their own.

Gougeon says youth often come to them through other agencies.

It’s the first year the Indigenous Wellness Clinic has been at YEG Youth Connect. Galipeau says they have attended Homeless Connect for years and have interacted with many people that way. They’re hopeful for the same results with the youth.

Tamara Woldegebreal is the youth program coordinator with Homeward Trust. She says right now, the organization is working to house more than 300 youth. That number is higher than the figures offered by the city’s 2016 homeless count, which has those 30 and younger and homeless at 247, because some of the youth she works with are trying to get out of an unhealthy home.

Housing is important, she says.

“We follow the Housing First model. We understand that for anyone to go to work every single day or to get up and go to school, it’s really hard if they don’t know where they’re staying that night. So by creating that home base for them, they’re creating that bottom line stability and from there they can continue to work on themselves. But you can’t imagine not knowing where you’re going that night or living in a dumpster and having to go to work the next day. It just doesn’t work like that,” she said.

Michael Peters, treasurer and co-chair of YEG Youth Connect, says the popularity of the event has grown over the years, more than quadrupling from the 60 youth, who attended the inaugural event four years ago. YEG Youth Connect is a community collaborative of 10 to 12 youth serving agencies in Edmonton that form the steering committee.

Peters says he believes the number of youth that are homeless is “leveling out” and the popularity of the event is due to increased awareness. He hopes that translates into more youth understanding the vast array of services that are available to them – 34 organizations set up at the event – and by making personal contact through the YEG Youth Connect, they will seek whatever help they need.

“We joke as a committee about this, but we’re hoping to be the event that doesn’t have to continue to run. Ideally the process of having our numbers decline every year is our goal. However, I think we have to get to the peak of that before we can see that success,” he said.