Win for Former Youth in Care!
The GVAT Affordable Housing Team has been working with Colin Tessier, Executive Director of Threshold Housing Society, on this issue
By Yvonne Hsieh - Affordable Housing ART co-lead, Climate Justice ART member, and member of the Holy Cross Catholic Parish
The 2022 provincial budget announced in February contained an exciting announcement: $35 million will be spent over three years to help former youth in care, almost half of whom experience homelessness within one year after they age out of foster care at age 19. Sixty-seven percent of children and youth in care in B. C. are Indigenous. Proposed new measures include allowing youth in care to stay in their current housing beyond age 19, a $600/month rent supplement, the hiring of 80 additional workers to help them transition into independence, letting them keep job earnings without clawing back on their income supplements, improving their access to counselling and life-skills programs, and medical and dental benefits.
Although details of these measures are still being worked out, advocates for former youth in care have hailed this this as a significant victory. As Adrienne Montani, Executor Director of First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society, puts it: “the new changes, once they happen, may mean foster youth on their 19th birthdays face a gentle slope, rather than a steep cliff” (“Backing away from the cliff: Finally, life-saving help for B. C. youth aging out of care,” Vancouver Sun, March 4, 2022).
For the past two years, the GVAT Affordable Housing ART has been working with Colin Tessier, Executive Director of Threshold Housing Society (a member association of GVAT), to plead for better support for former youth in care. On April 29, 2021, we met with Ministers David Eby (Housing), Mitzi Dean (Children and Family Development) and Nicholas Simons (Social Development and Poverty Reduction) to discuss this issue. Thirteen of their senior staff members were present at this encounter. We raised the problem again in a meeting with Minister Murray Rankin (Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation) on August 16, 2021.
It is gratifying to know that GVAT’s voice, along with those of other community advocates, have been heard. We will continue to monitor the situation and call for the implementation of the promised changes as quickly as possible.