Youth organization 'ringing the alarm bell' aboutdire need for affordable housing

Social agencies that help homeless youth in Ottawa say the combined pressures of the pandemic and inflation are causing a surgein demand for services.

Operation Come Home,which worksto divert youth out ofhomelessness by offering a drop-in on weekday mornings, as well asemployment and housing programs, says demand is up 33 per cent across the board over last year.

By August, the organization said it hadblown past itsprojected demandfor the year.

Executive director John Heckbert saidit's "ringing the alarm bell" aboutthe dire need for "deeply affordable" housing meaning rent set at30 per cent oftotal income.

For a single person receiving $672 per month via theOntario Disability Support Program (ODSP), a "deeply affordable" monthly rent would be about $200.

WATCH | This year's demand for help:

Demand for youth homelessness services is surging, provider says

2 years ago

Duration 1:20

Operation Come Home offers employment and housing programs to help divert youth out of homelessness. Executive director John Heckbert said youth shelters and churches that provide shelter are at capacity.

One theory about the spike in demand is that the tendency of the pandemic to amplifyconflict and mental stress at home has caused more youths to leave,Heckbertsaid.

Professor Jacqueline Kennellyat Carleton University'sCentre for Urban Youth Researchadded thatsome youthsespecially young men who are the children of single motherssometimes leavefor altruistic reasons.

"They don't want to add more to their mother's or parents'challenges financially, and then they try and strike out on their own," said Kennelly.

One man's example

If thepicture painted by Heckbert and Kennelly is accurate, 22-year-old Kageis a textbook example.

Conflicts betweenhis mother and her violent boyfriends made home a dangerous place, he said. When he was 16his motherlost a job at Tim Horton's, then another at a college cafeteria, creating financial instability.

Kage, also struggling to manage an anxiety disorder, decided to leave.

He has tried to avoid sheltersand evenwithtemperatures plunging,he's beensleepingoutsidethese days in what he describes as a "cubby hole" adjacent to a downtown church.

"I have a sleeping bag and a blanket, so Ihave extra padding for extra warmth. It's not fun, but it's not exactly the worst thing in the world," he said.

Earlier this week Kageand his friendJared were sharing cannabisand abox of Ritz crackers a little ways from a drop-in at Operation Come Home's Gloucester Street building.

CBCis withholding both of their last names due to privacy concerns.

Jared said along-simmering feud with his brother exploded into a fight that left the 24-year-old with a brain injury. He's supposed to be living with support because of his disability, butmost days that job falls to Kage.

Solving youth homelessnessdoesn't require "magic," Kennelly said."It's really, really about building affordable housing."

The Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa's director of community servicesis also calling for affordable housing geared to 30 per centof income.

On any given day, some 30 young people will turn up at the bureau looking for cheaper accommodationthat simply isn't available, said Darren Graham.

The cold weather and snow has caused many homeless to abandon tents and scattered encampments around the city.

And Heckbert, Kennelly and Grahamsay the youth homelessness situation is about to get worse.

For Kage, the options are few.

His current long-term plan is to set aside two months of ODSP payments, then find an apartment where he can coverthe first and last month's rent.

He also plansto use a support worker's identity, "because nobody wants to actually let people on disability into their homes anymore," he explained.