Starting where the youth are at
Although people often talk about this group of youth in terms of their deficits, Eva’s Phoenix tries to provide the supports that will allow them to realize their potential. Much of the program design was based on conversations with the youth themselves about what they experienced when they tried to get out of the shelter system.
High visibility of Homeless Issue
At around the same time that the idea for Eva’s Phoenix was starting to germinate, a series of events drew public attention to the needs of homeless youth. A group of youth had taken over some silos near the waterfront, and not only were these structures physically dangerous, there was also potential for violence. In the cold Toronto winter, homeless people were freezing to death in the streets. Some activist youth groups had formed in the city and youth panhandling and squeegieing was becoming more prevalent. Youth-serving agencies recognized the need to act and some community housing experiments were already underway, including isolated street dwellers and other hard-to-house individuals. While there were facilities for adults, there were very few places for youth to turn.
Eva’s Phoenix
Key supporters
Bob Yamashita, a manager with the City of Toronto who had a long history of working with the homeless population compared the situation of these youth to returning soldiers. “In post-war Canada when the soldiers came back we asked ourselves ‘What do we need to do with these kids?’ What is the difference between them and the kids who have survived on the streets? Are they any less deserving? No they are not.”
Bob urges others to take their ideas and sell them as far and wide as possible. People need to find champions who are not afraid to take risks and who are willing to try anything, like the Board and Staff at Eva’s. To those who find the risks too great, Bob offers this argument: “This is a huge, risky business. But the risks of doing nothing are even greater. These kids will end up in gangs shooting each other.”
