For homeless youth who need support, the Vanauley Street YMCA is going to be more than a drop-in centre or an overnight shelter. Located by Queen and Bathurst Streets, the Vanauley Street Y is currently under construction. Once renovated and redesigned, the centre will provide homeless youth access to opportunities to build on their strengths and shape their future.
Responding to the critical needs of the public, the Vanauley Street YMCA is a “true centre of community.” Combining vital supportive services, including drop-in, overnight shelter, employment programs, hot meals, shower and laundry facilities, the centre aims to help at-risk youth get back on their feet.
Yonge Street, a weekly online magazine, recently published an article about the Vanauley Street YMCA’s renovation project. You can read some important excerpts from that article below:
Check out our website to learn more about the Vanauley Street Y centre.
Responding to the critical needs of the public, the Vanauley Street YMCA is a “true centre of community.” Combining vital supportive services, including drop-in, overnight shelter, employment programs, hot meals, shower and laundry facilities, the centre aims to help at-risk youth get back on their feet.
Yonge Street, a weekly online magazine, recently published an article about the Vanauley Street YMCA’s renovation project. You can read some important excerpts from that article below:
| "When you're homeless you don't have a door you can close. That might sound small, but it's actually huge." That's one of the reasons, says Louise Smith, manager of youth outreach and intervention for YMCA of Greater Toronto, that she, her colleagues, and her clients, are so excited about the recent official groundbreaking of the Vanauley Street YMCA. "One of the things that we did [when we decided to renovate Vanauley] that was important to us, the residents and the people who were staying with us, was to get their input into the redesign," says Smith. “It’s because of this consultation that the new shelter will have rooms that are only double-occupancy and each with their own bathroom. We kept hearing how important privacy was to young people for them to be able to thrive." Located at 7 Vanauley Street, near Queen West and Bathurst, the Vanauley Street YMCA began operations in May 2012 after another community group vacated the space. As Smith points out, while the number of youth living in poverty is growing, services for homeless youth in the area around Vanauley are continuing to decline. After operating there for almost two years, the YMCA decides to transform Vanauley into what they deem "a true Centre of Community," a space that combines multiple services and is responsive to community needs. The new Vanauley building, when complete, will be 3,000 sq. ft. larger and will provide enough room for the YMCA to move its emergency shelter from the Queen location. |
Check out our website to learn more about the Vanauley Street Y centre.
