A Way Home: Planning to End Youth Homelessness in Kamloops

Carmin MazzottaSocial and Community Development SupervisorCity of Kamloops

• …an opportunity• Pilot community in a national

initiative to end youth homelessness

Jan 2013 – visioning session with all of the key stakeholders

“youth should be involved in every step of the process”

• “novel idea”• Put out a call, create a youth-led

committee• 3 credit crash course on

homelessness• 3 credit crash course on research

ethics• Focus groups and interviews…

• …and – Voila.

• Let’s back up…

• Then…. Challenges: • 3 credit crash course idea and

then adults step out of the way so as not to interfere with this entirely youth-led process….

…didn’t work

• Reframing:

Youth-Adult Partnership

Consultation process:• Focus groups with

homeless and at risk youth in the community

Consultation process:• Key interviews with front line

social workers who were still youth themselves (25 or under)

Media and public engagement:• Short film on

reflections of the process• Participation in

community events

• Plan drafted, shared with key stakeholders, youth participants, MCFD

• And then…. enter the grassroots Youth Supportive Housing Committee• Committee decided to adopt the

plan as their own and became the A Way Home Committee• Perfect marriage: a grassroots

committee, and a plan to provide a strategic framework and structure to guide the committee’s actions

Launch event • Over 100 people in

attendance• Media, politicians,

community leaders, front line staff, former youth in care

A Way Home – “Rooted in action:”• Acadia youth housing with

wraparound supports• CHBA partnership• Youth homelessness coordinator