Giving the Gift of Home This Holiday Season

Everyone deserves a home, and that’s especially true for youth — it’s a principle that guides all of our work at Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU).

 

For too many young people across London, the reality is bleak. Nearly 26% of those living unhoused across our city are youth, including young moms and their babies. It’s an unacceptable reality, and it’s one we’re fighting to change at Joan’s Place. 

 

Joan’s Place, named for Joan Smith, Ontario’s first female Solicitor General and a tireless advocate for women and children, is currently coming to life at the intersection of Richmond and York Streets, and it will be a step towards ending youth homelessness across London, particularly for young moms and their babies. Pairing 39 units of affordable housing with a youth wellness hub, Joan’s Place will provide unhoused youth and young families with the resources and support they need when at their most vulnerable, which includes providing them with a sense of home. 

 

Joan knew, like we do, that home is much more than a place to stay. It’s somewhere safe to learn and play, somewhere to grow and thrive, and creating that takes work. It requires focusing on the aspects of affordable housing and shelter that people don’t often consider – factors like cozy bed sheets for a crib or a new Paw Patrol toothbrush. Just ask our CEO:

 

“Giving a young person a home means thinking about all the little things that won’t just make it a safe place to live, but providing the necessities that they need to feel comfortable and safe,” says Steve Cordes. “There are numerous crucial supports that homeless young people need to thrive — from mental health care, to help navigating complex systems — but at YOU, we know that at the top of that list is also the feeling of home.” 

 

That’s what we’re building at Joan’s Place, but we need your help to do it. While construction is underway, we’re now working hard to ensure we’ll be able to provide the young families who’ll live in Joan’s Place all that they’ll need for it to feel like home. So this holiday season, we’re asking you to help create that. 

 

Can you help give the gift of home at Joan’s Place? Visit you.ca/joans-place to give today.

 

By Jamie Lee Arseneau, Community Engagement Manager, Youth Opportunities Unlimited