Young women experiencing homelessness often face exploitation, sex trafficking, and trauma caused by these circumstances. Discrimination, poverty and challenges finding a place to live, retaining employment or even finishing their education make achieving independence even more challenging. Moving past these difficult experiences requires compassionate and specialized care. To help young women move forward in their lives, we developed the Creating Pathways program to support young women with individualized care.
Each youth entering the program is paired with a dedicated case manager who becomes their main point of contact. Together, they build a path forward that typically begins with mental health counselling to address trauma, mentorship to provide a wider circle of support going forward and assistance reconnecting with family when appropriate. This is followed by skills development, employment or education counselling and assistance with rent and finding a safe place to live.
Following the program’s launch in February 2023, the program welcomed 15 young women in it’s first 3 months. While each participant can choose the programs and services that will support her future goals, all participants are provided with a safe place to live where they can work on their employment and or education goals while addressing their mental health and wellness needs.
Many youth participating in Creating Pathways shared positive feelings about their experience with it. Some appreciated that it was designed specifically for them: “Especially that it was for women…I knew I was interested because I really want help with a lot of things, and I never really had the support group that I would want with my family. So, to see a group that specifically helps women with education, work and housing…that’s why I went in there.”
Youth have also shared with us the importance of being able to choose a therapist they feel comfortable with and who can meet their needs, and how their relationship with their case manager has been critical to their ability to move forward to a future of their choosing. One young person shared her feelings about her case worker saying: “It’s been really good. I feel like she’s a really big support. Even with the communication, she makes me feel very safe and comfortable and she’s very understanding. She’s in a way like a mother, just showing me things and helping me…it’s really nice having support.”
We are deeply grateful to the Slaight Family Foundation for their support of the Creating Pathways Program.