If your organization were to cease to exist tomorrow, where would the youth go? Who would they turn to?

No one lives entirely in isolation. As human beings, we all need connection, community, and a sense of belonging. Relationships—whether with family, friends, neighbours, or other trusted individuals—are vital to our emotional and mental well-being.

Youth homelessness prevention begins with establishing meaningful relationships

This is why “connection first” is the first core principle of the Family and Natural Supports (FNS) program, because relationships are as vital as basic needs like food and shelter. These connections foster a sense of identity, belonging, and overall well-being. While social and emotional needs take longer to address than physical needs, FNS starts exploring these needs immediately. This way, we’re here to help youth feel understood and supported as soon as they connect with us.

Additionally, this principle recognizes that every young person deserves the right to access services without any preconditions or the need to prove they’re ‘ready.’ It’s important that organizations step in to remove obstacles that might stop young people from accessing the support they need. This also includes helping young people connect and reconnect family members, chosen family and natural supports more easily, so they too can also participate in this prevention intervention and support the young person on their journey.

As professionals, every interaction with a youth is a chance to be curious, to build trust, and to better understand their world. It’s an opportunity to ask and listen: Who is part of their community? Who could be? And how can we, as professionals, contribute to strengthening their support system? These connections aren’t just helpful—they are the foundation of resilience, healing, personal growth, and preventing homelessness.

It Takes a Community to Prevent Youth Homelessness

CMHA/Foundry Kelowna, one of our eight community partners on the 14-month FNS project funded by Employment and Social Development Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy program, understands the importance of families, caregivers, and natural supports in a young person’s life. The organization offers a wide range of services and resources for youth and their circles of support. From mental health clinicians and peer supporters to youth workers, the FNS team, family navigators, and even medical office administrators, everyone in the organization embraces the FNS philosophy: supporting families and natural supports is a shared responsibility, not the job of a single family worker or case manager.

The Role of Long-Term Support Systems

The CMHA/Foundry Kelowna team also understands that while the role of professionals is important, it is not sustainable in the long term. Planning for a young person’s future, ensuring they do not enter or become at risk of homelessness, includes ensuring they have a reliable safety net when services end. Staff regularly reflect on the critical question: If we didn’t exist tomorrow, who would this young person turn to? Who is their 2 a.m. emergency phone call?

This approach is paying off, one youth at a time. As one CMHA/Foundry Kelowna service provider shared:

“A youth had been unhoused for 3 years and hadn’t spoken with family for that entire time. FNS workers supported the young person and family to re-engage and start the process of rebuilding. Due to the support and engagement of FNS, the young person was able to travel home and see their family in person at Christmas for the first time in 3 years.”

Together, CMHA/Foundry Kelowna staff strive to ensure that every young person feels connected, empowered, and part of a compassionate, supportive community, and does not live in fear of becoming homeless.

To Learn More:

Contact Heidi Walter, Program Design and Training Consultant, hwalter@awayhome.ca

Stay tuned for further updates on this project and for additional tools and resources to come.

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy.

The opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada.