All of the young people residing at Horizons for Youth are trying to escape from the cycle of homelessness. Many of them have spent months at our shelter preparing for independent living. They have created goals, attended pre-employment programs, found jobs and figured out how much money they need to save for first and last months’ rent. For many of them, they were excited for their futures, some for the first time in their lives. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Most of our residents worked in the service industry. In the past few weeks, all of our residents but one have been laid-off. Many of our residents were so close to exiting the shelter system and now, their lives have been put on hold. In only a matter of a few weeks, the opportunities they had to escape homelessness have disappeared. They are now stuck in homelessness for an indefinite period of time, which is demoralizing.
Individuals experiencing homelessness are often the first to be hit by crises and the last to recover from them. Most low-income individuals do not have job security or savings to fall back on. Not only have all of our residents taken an economic hit, their health is more at risk than the general population. While Horizons for Youth has instituted social distancing policies, it is still a communal living environment. The potential health and economic impacts of this crisis on our residents are very concerning.
Our residents are extremely frustrated and upset by this situation. One youth told us that she used to be out of the building for 12 hours most days because she was attending school and had a part-time job. Now, she is at the facility every day, which is a constant reminder that she is homeless and cannot do anything about this reality right now.
Because of past experiences of abuse, neglect and trauma, many of our residents have low self-confidence. Every time they take a step towards achieving one of their goals, they start to believe in themselves. This situation has defeated many of our youth and our team is worried about how this crisis will affect their mental and emotional wellbeing.
Rob, one of our Case Managers, has spent countless hours helping residents work towards their goals and he cheers them on every step of the way. He says, “What is helping me keep motivated during this crisis is knowing how hard the youth have worked and I want to see them achieve their goals. I want them to feel the benefits of their hard work. I keep telling them that their previous hard work still matters. Their lives are on pause right now, but they will achieve their dreams, I know they will.”
Learn more about Horizons for Youth’s COVID-19 Response Plan
Learn more about how you can help our residents during this time
Written by Stacey Murie