Transcript Collaborating With and For Homeless Youth in Hamilton

Collaborating With and For
Homeless Youth in
Hamilton
43rd Annual Addictions Ontario Conference
AY-Alternatives for Youth, Sue Kennedy, Lori Claxton
Social Planning and Research Council, Erika Morton
on behalf of the
Street Youth
Planning Collaborative
Monday May 30st, 2011
This presentation will share:
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The innovative work happening within Hamilton
on street-involved and homeless youth issues
How we are conducting systems planning and
community development work
The model of collaboration led by the Street
Youth Planning Collaborative (SYPC)
History
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Directors from street-involved youth agencies have
a long history of ad-hoc communication
Ten years ago a group of service providers began
meeting formally in order to address community
gaps
Separated the directors and front line staff to
enhance communication
The directors table partnered with the SPRC in 2004
History continued…
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In October 2005, the Addressing the Needs
document was released
The subsequent recommendation
implementation phase helped us understand
how the three stakeholder groups would work
together
Three Stakeholder Groups
The Street Youth Planning
Collaborative
The Street
The Street Youth
Involved Youth Network
Involvement Committee
Who Is Involved?
Street Youth Planning Collaborative
The Street Youth Planning
Collaborative
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The SYPC strives to advocate for, support
and facilitate an enhanced, seamless
system of services for street-involved and
homeless youth.
Who is Involved?
Street Involved Youth Network
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This community network boasts a
membership of 31 individuals from 20
community agencies (Includes SYPC agencies,
YMCA, OW, Public Health, Child Welfare
agencies, Mental Health services…
This group meets monthly to discuss on the
ground, street youth issues – partly to provide
information and education to front line staff
and partly to document the trends and
realities on the front line
Who is Involved?
Street Youth Involvement Committee
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Comprised of youth who
have been homeless, are
homeless or who have an
interest in homelessness
They have been meeting
for 4 years – once per
month
They provide input to an
adult ally on homeless
youth issues, consult the
community and do
project work
SYPC Planning Processes and
Mechanisms
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Addressing the Needs of Street-Involved and
Homeless Youth in Hamilton (October 2005)
Annual Strategic Planning Sessions
Monthly Planning Meetings
Dedicated Community Development Support
Communication, Planning and
Decision Making
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The CD support is the conduit between all
stakeholder meetings
All decision making rests with the SYPC
We are working toward more integrated and
collaborative planning with the three stakeholder
groups
Status, Implementation Strategies
and Initiatives
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The SYPC is building it’s profile as a decision
making, planning body on street-involved youth
issues
We completed and evaluated a three-year
recommendation implementation strategy in
August 2009
The current focus is around housing and increased
collaboration development
We are being recognized provincially and nationally
on the work we are doing
Successes
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The collaboration model-3 stakeholder groups
Commitment to systems planning
Documentation of community conversations and
use of research in work
Community development support
Action oriented and gets work done
Increase of the profile and community awareness
around street-involved youth issues
Successes continued
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7 member Youth Housing Support Team
Youth Outreach Workers of Hamilton project
Angela’s Place and Wesley Youth Housing
transitional housing projects
Weekend Open Access Support
The Addressing the Needs report and subsequent
Interim Project Check-In
Increased capacity and training for front-line staff
Increased mental health services, including clinical
services
Challenges
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Time
Balancing inclusiveness and getting work done
Working with diverse agencies
A funding climate that expects collaboration but
does not foster it
Meaningfully valuing the perspective of front line
staff and youth
Next Steps for the SYPC
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Committed and dedicated to their work
Profile building
Sustainable funding
Alternatives for Youth
Mission Statement: Alternatives for Youth
empower youth to make positive choices that
minimize the harm of substance use or addiction
and to be engaged in positive ways with their
community.
Vision Statement: We envision a future where
youth are not harmed by substance use or
addiction, and are engaged in positive ways
within their community.
AY Values
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Accessibility
Inclusion
Openness
Empowerment
Flexibility
AY Core Service:
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AY Opened its doors in 1969
Community treatment for children and youth
ages 12-23 who are substance involved
Provide assessment, treatment planning,
evidence informed interventions, referral and
follow-up in a harm reduction framework
Comprehensive psychiatric assessment,
consultation, and treatment for youth with
concurrent disorders.
Risk Factors for Street
Involved Youth
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Family History:
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Parental drug use
Quality of family relationships, organization and
communication
Ineffective parenting or absence of
Intimacy and
stability(disengagement/enmeshment)
Risk Factors Cont’d
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Early Anti-social Behaviour
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the greater the variety, frequency and
seriousness: the greater the likelihood of drug
abuse
e.g. rebelliousness, temperament, social isolation,
impulsivity, early learning related difficulties, early
onset on drug use
Risk Factors cont’d
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Peers
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Association with street drug users, couch-surfing
peers
Perceived street-involvement by other
adolescents
Gang involvement
Risk Factors cont’d
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Attitudes, Beliefs, Personality Traits
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Alienation from “main-stream” society
Rebelliousness
Risk-taking
Non-conformity
Resistance to traditional authority
Street Drugs: Risks and Harms
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drug interactions especially for poly-drug users
routes of administration
financing drug abuse
disease transmission
psycho-social impact and consequences
legal risks and hazards
limitations of the treatment and social services
AY’s Response - A Triage
Model of Integrated Care
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Focus on crisis
Street drug use and street-involved lifestyle
cannot be separated out
Crisis intervention as a component of clinical
case management
Distinguish between crisis events and other
traumatic events
Assessment
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Complete alcohol/drug history:
Identify negative and social and physical
consequences of use(physical abuse, needle
use, safe sex, pregnancy)
Determine if withdrawal symptoms are
present
Screen for mental health status(depression,
anxiety, panic ,suicide, psychosis)***Referral
to mental health clinician/psychiatrist
Early Intervention
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Triage and assessment for youth who are
accessing street-involved services for the first
time. Youth shelter may not be bet entry point
to services.
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what brought you here?
do you have any other options of places to
go?(extended family, friends, etc.)
goal of early intervention is to assist youth to
access community services before engaging in
street involved youth culture and services
Intensive Intervention
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Triage and assessment for youth who are
entrenched in street-drug use and streetinvolved lifestyle
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ensure basic needs are met: food, shelter,
clothing, identification, legal
explore primary presenting concerns that youth is
identifying i.e.: physical health, mental health,
current pattern of substance use
Goal is to explore risks, vulnerabilities and
strengths and reduce barriers to treatment
Exiting Street Involved Youth
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Stabilization and move toward independence
and support network is community based.
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housing
education
employment
substance use
mental health
family/peer relationships