SHELTER SERVICES
True or False
You have to pay a deposit of $100 to secure a room at the shelter, this covers any damage done to the property and ensures the shelter does not become over crowded.FALSE
You do not need to pay to be a resident at the shelter.
1 in this amount of youth in Toronto will experience homelessness over the course of a year.
300, 100, 150
1:100
Homeless people are homeless because they don't work.
Myth... Many homeless people are among the working poor. A person earning a minimum wage can’t earn enough to support a family of three or pay inner-city rent.
What of the following services are not offered within YWS?
Free Medical Services, Free Emergency Shelter, Affordable Housing, Therapy and Diagnoses, Art Therapy
ALL ARE OFFERED! Between the many programs and different types of housing, YWS has so many things to offer youth experiencing homelessness.
This percentage of homeless people in Toronto are made up of youth.
83%, 11%, 30%
11%
All homeless people are suffering with a mental illness.
Myth... About 39% of youth experiencing homelessness in Toronto are estimated to be struggling with mental health issues (such as extremely high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression), while 14% have a diagnosed mental health illness.
This type of shelter serves individuals and families with a referral from an emergency shelter, Central Intake, Streets to Homes Assessment and Referral Centre (SHARC) or another agency. Clients cannot self-refer. The typical length of stay in this shelter is intended to be longer to enable clients to address their particular housing and service needs.
Transitional Shelters provide specialized programming; clients are assessed for eligibility prior to admission.
This percentage of people experiencing homelessness in Toronto will have first experienced homelessness before the age of 16.
55%, 11%, 32%
32%
You should always be cautious when interacting with homeless people. They are dangerous.
Myth... Sometimes an encounter with the homeless may end in tragedy. However, this is extremely rare. In general, the homeless are among the least threatening group in our society. They are often the victims of crimes, not the perpetrators.