The following column was written by staff from The Lighthouse in Orillia to help the community better understand people experiencing homelessness and those who support them.
Imagine being 17 years old, trapped in an unsafe home, struggling with trauma and mental health issues, and turning to substances to escape the pain.
You feel like the resources are failing you and you’ve fallen through every gap in the system. Now you find yourself living on the streets, sleeping on a friend’s couch when you can. This is a reality more and more young people in our community are facing — a reality most of us cannot fathom for ourselves or our loved ones.
As the only emergency shelter offering youth-specific services in Orillia, The Lighthouse strives to provide a safe haven for young people who are in desperate need. However, the demand often exceeds our capacity, and our shelter beds, including our youth beds, are frequently full.
Over the past year, The Lighthouse’s outreach team has tirelessly supported people of all ages who are experiencing homelessness in the streets and encampments of Orillia, with more than 5,000 interactions from May to December alone. This staggering number highlights the growing need for our services.
In response to this pressing need, we are excited to announce the launch of our youth outreach program. This initiative is designed to extend the efforts of our outreach team with a specific focus on supporting youth. Our youth outreach worker will be active in the community, meeting youth who are experiencing homelessness and at risk of homelessness where they are in order to connect them with resources and support their well-being.
Collaboration is at the heart of our work. The youth outreach program is a collaborative effort, working closely with:
- Orillia Public Library human services co-ordinator — providing immediate support and resources.
- CFS Counselling + Wellbeing, YouthCall — offering crisis intervention and counselling.
- John Howard and Elizabeth Fry Purposeful Integration Team — ensuring co-ordinated care and support.
- Elizabeth Fry and Rapid Housing Program — facilitating access to safe and stable housing.
In addition to The Lighthouse’s already established partnerships with the above organizations and others who come to our facility, we aim to build connections with services in our community to ensure youth receive the support they need. This includes the Simcoe County District School Board, high schools and other youth-centred organizations. Our goal is to create a network of care that surrounds each young person, offering the resources necessary for them to move forward.
The success of our programs hinges on strong partnerships within the community. By working together, we can provide the comprehensive, wrap-around services youth need to build a brighter future.
At The Lighthouse, we believe every young person deserves a chance to thrive with hope, home and a future. Through our new youth outreach program and the collaborative efforts of our community partners, we are committed to making this vision a reality.
Linda Goodall is the executive director at The Lighthouse and can be reached at [email protected].
Rosemary Petersen is the assistant director at The Lighthouse.
