Summer Price is a Youth Safe Space Sustainability Coordinator for West End 24/7 Safe Space (WE24). She says it’s a long name to say that she’s here for youth, whatever that looks like. At WE24, teens and young adults aged 13 to 26 are welcome to stop in for food, friendship and a quiet place to spend time on Langside Street. Prince and a team of dedicated staff work around the clock to make sure youth in the neighbourhood have someone to turn to when they need it.
The organization works with youth from all walks of life. Some live with their parents or families but need extra supports. Some are in care and have perhaps left their placement or are feeling lost and lonely. “We greet everyone with a trauma-informed, non-judgemental approach,” explains Prince. “We don’t do a traditional intake, with forms and asking them questions. We don’t want to be just ‘another worker,’ we want to build relationships with them.”
Currently, Winnipeg has many organizations providing overnight shelter and services for youth: Rossbrook House, Tina’s Safe Haven, Velma’s House, The Link and WE24. What they were lacking was a way to connect across sites and easily work together for the good of their communities. That’s where Prince’s role came into play.
Prince’s role is new, thanks to funding provided by Réseau Compassion Network (RCN) and the Winnipeg Foundation. “We’d been invited to the Manitoba Social Innovation Office’s meetings where we were focusing on better supporting kids and young adults who are encountering more barriers than most,” explains RCN’s CEO, Daniel Lusier. “There’s a direct correlation between those youth aging out of care and those who find themselves without homes, on our streets. When we heard that places like WE24 needed funding to be more efficient and work in a closer partnership with the other organizations providing similar services, we were very interested to hear how we could support.”
“We had a first network meeting two weeks ago,” shares Prince. “The needs of youth are only growing, and there’s a lot of amazing work happening in community. We’re working with the same kids and young adults, we’re meeting the same challenges. And we can help each other out; if one shelter is full, or we need a referral for housing services, for example. We don’t want anyone to fall through the cracks, so we’re working closer together.”
Lussier confirms that this is what drew the Social Innovation Office to this new role as a potential solution. “There’s been a huge increase in the past few years, in terms of how many young people are seeking shelter at night,” he explains. “We heard that it’s not just the youth that need more support, but the teams working also need better supports for how to deal with crisis situations and how to support each other as coworkers.”
Larger, central shelters in the downtown core are intimidating for younger folk, and might not have the specific services needed for someone experiencing homelessness as a youth. The three-year pilot project will help ensure that the special needs of these people continue to be served in more appropriate ways.
Prince is grateful to the support of the funding agencies for this important work. “We’re a non-profit, and every bit of help we get makes a huge difference,” she shares. “It means we’re able to be there for more kids, and we can continue to be their safe space.”
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