A Way Home Canada (AWHC) and the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH) are excited to invite Community Entities (CEs) to participate in a new nationwide opportunity to drive meaningful change for young people and prevent youth homelessness across Canada.

As part of Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, our project—Building Local Capacity to Prevent Youth Homelessness—is looking for eight (8) enthusiastic CEs that are eager to pave the way in preventing and reducing youth homelessness. We’re on the lookout for CEs that are passionate about making a lasting impact but are also excited to learn, lead and support their community towards youth homelessness prevention. If your CE is ready to enhance the great work already taking place in your community, strengthen their skills, and join a national learning initiative, we want to hear from you!

This call is open exclusively to designated Community Entities within Canada.

Selected CEs will have an initial exploration meeting with AWHC, followed by a co-created individualized plan for your community that includes the following elements:

  • In-person training on Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) and/or Family and Natural Supports (FNS), with flexibility to integrate components of the Foundations 101 model, as needed. This training is designed for community organizations that CEs support.
  • 20 hours of dedicated follow-up support, including:
    • Coaching and implementation support for the CE or local organizations
    • Facilitation of reflective practice
    • Assistance in reviewing and aligning your Community Plan
  • Invitation to join a CE-specific Community of Practice (COP) focused on prevention-based interventions. (Participation in at least one COP is required.)
  • Introduction to the Homelessness Learning Hub, including how to effectively use its tools and resources.
  • Early access to a brand-new, evidence-informed youth homelessness prevention toolkit.

Who should apply?

We are seeking CEs that are ready to lead the way in youth homelessness prevention and can:

  • Demonstrate a clear desire to prevent youth homelessness in their community.
  • Support community agencies and service providers in learning more, adopting, or expanding on youth homelessness approaches such as FNS and HF4Y.
  • Convene local youth-serving organizations for a two- or three-day in-person learning opportunity/training provided by AWHC and ensure at least one CE representative attends.
  • Facilitate communication between AWHC and local partners throughout the project period.

Project Framework

The project period is anticipated to commence on June 16, 2025 or soon thereafter, and will conclude on March 31, 2026, with no eligibility for extension. A Memorandum of Understanding will guide the work.

Interested Community Entities are asked to address the following in their Expression of Interest (EOI) (maximum three pages):

  1. Provide a brief description of your organization’s mandate and your interest in youth homelessness prevention.
  2. Describe your relationship with the youth sector in your community, along with their interest in youth homelessness prevention.
  3. Is your CE aware of the Family and Natural Supports (FNS) and Housing First for Youth approaches? Please share any information you have about these programs currently being implemented in your community.
  4. If your CE is selected for this opportunity, what impact do you hope it will have on your community?

Interested CEs must submit an EOI no longer than three pages in Word or PDF format via email to Tanya McCagherty (tmccagherty@awayhome.ca) at A Way Home Canada by June 9 at 4:30 p.m. EST.

Background

Through initiatives under the National Housing Strategy, including Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, the Government of Canada has been working with communities across the country to reduce chronic homelessness by 50% by 2027-2028. Building on all the work governments, the nonprofit sector, Indigenous partners and communities have done to date, and recognizing the need to do more, the Government of Canada has taken a step further and has committed to working with partners to end chronic homelessness in Canada by 2030.

Ending homelessness requires time, long-term resources, coordination, and dedicated focus across a range of partners. Community Entities continue to provide critical support to organizations in developing data-driven, coordinated systems, delivering housing-focused services and interventions, and building strong Indigenous partnerships. This work is integral to addressing homelessness, and chronic homelessness more specifically.

From May 27, 2024 to March 31, 2026, A Way Home Canada (AWHC), will develop and deliver training to build Community Entity (CE) and service provider capacity to deliver youth homelessness prevention activities, in consultation with Indigenous partners.

Youth homelessness prevention refers to housing-led policies, practices and interventions that provide supports designed to stabilize housing, keep young people “in place” in their communities and strengthen relationships between youth and family members as well as other meaningful adults in their lives. This is to be achieved through the following areas of focus:

  • Primary Prevention: Reduce inflows into youth homelessness by taking proactive steps to stop young people from becoming homeless in the first place.
  • Secondary Prevention: Intervening early to reduce the risk that youth who experience homelessness for the first time will transition to long term or chronic homelessness.
  • Tertiary Prevention: Providing appropriate supports to reduce the likelihood that chronically homeless youth who exit homelessness will return to it.

Additional information about youth homelessness prevention can be found here.

Family and Natural Supports focuses on young people between the ages of 13 and 24 who are at risk of or have experienced homelessness. By supporting youth to mediate conflicts, strengthen and rebuild relationships, and nurture natural supports, they are better able to move forward with their lives, stay in school or access training and employment, transition successfully into adulthood and benefit overall from better mental health. All of this work functions through a trauma-informed care lens and has been rigorously tested and evaluated. Family and Natural supports are often seen as the cause of youth homelessness. Within this work, they are viewed as the solution and an integral component of the journey for young people to avoid homelessness or transition out of homelessness quickly and not return.

Additional information, including the philosophy, practice and program dynamics of Family and Natural Supports can be found here.

Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) is an adaptation of the adult Housing First model and is a rights-based intervention for young people (aged 13–24) who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. It is designed to address the needs of developing adolescents and young adults by providing them with immediate access to housing that is safe, affordable and appropriate along with necessary and age-appropriate supports that focus on health, well-being, life skills, engagement in education and employment, and social inclusion.

Additional information, including the philosophy, practice and program dynamics of Housing First for Youth can be found here.