Through innovative programming and social enterprise, we help youth and young families secure stable housing, education and employment, while working towards family stability and better health.
Annual Report 2021/2022
Geoff Davis
Chair of the Board of Directors
Sheldon Pollett
Executive Director
A message from the
Chair of the Board & Executive Director
“We are very pleased to share our most recent annual report with our staff, partners, donors, and community. Our resiliency as an organization continues to shine bright, as we know our incredibly passionate staff continue to focus on what really fosters our work – doing everything possible to improve the lives of youth and young families who seek our help.”
Housing
Choices for Youth operates with a housing-first approach.
-
As the COVID pandemic continued to play an oversized role in our programming, and on the lives of our youth and staff, our housing programs worked collectively to provide a response to the ever-changing needs of our youth.
> Read more < -
This year we created and launched our newest program - Soft Landing. This program operates from a Housing First model and aims to provide a rapid rehousing and shelter diversion approach for youth who are precariously housed, experiencing homelessness, or experiencing transitional homelessness.
> Read More < -
Thanks to a partnership with End Homelessness St. John’s, we were able to increase capacity with the creation of a new roRead Morele - the Intensive Housing Stability Worker (IHSW). The IHSW will be connected to the RallyForward program and will work with 12 youth who require intensive supports for their housing needs and ultimately expand the number of youth we can support.
> Read More <
Housing units
4
Housing programs
54
Shelter nights stayed
86%
Occupancy rate
3,074
Soft Landing Impact
51%
of youth supported were
homeless upon intake.
45%
of those who were homeless
upon intake are now stably housed.
18 days
is the average time to safely
house a young person.
39
youth supported by the
Soft Landing program.
Outreach,
health, & Family
From providing basic needs to early intervention, to prevention, Choices for Youth does it all.
-
As part of the ongoing Covid-19 response, our Outreach and Youth Engagement team continued to adapt to the changing pandemic safety protocols and continued to follow best practices on social distancing, production, and distribution of daily meals.
> Read More <
-
This year our Momma Moments team’s focus has been on recruitment and retention for 12-14 new volunteers to join our Momma Moments program; our Cashin Avenue affordable housing units had 100 % occupancy for five young moms and families; and our Family and Natural Support Program continued to support program participants with working toward improved relationships with various identified supports in their lives.
> Read More <
-
Our Upstream team had a big focus on program development early this year and administered Students Needs Assessment (SNA) virtually at the end of May, a tool aimed at identifying participants into the program.
> Read More <
-
The medical care team at our Carter’s Hill Place location had improved health outcomes of so many youth we served this year with new medical care additions and offering essential medical clinics.
> Read More <
SWAP interactions
381
Youth supported by our
Family & Youth Therapist
35
Families supported by our Upstream NL program
37
impact on moms:
decrease in use of emergency health care services.
91%
increase in high school equivalency attained.
27%
of moms with stable housing.
100%
Note: all data is based on aggregate percent change between initial intake in the Momma Moments program and the average results 18 months later.
“At 16, I got pregnant and stopped using drugs. I attended the CFY healthy baby club sessions, where we would get tips and information for being a new mother, peer support, and a voucher to buy milk and fruit to give me and my baby the nutrition we needed. On the morning of March 6, 2014, my beautiful son was born. When my son was born, I was able to get support from the Momma Moments program.”
— Sarah, Momma Moments Program Participant
education, employment, &
Social enterprise
Through the Education, Employment & Social Enterprise (EESE) program, CFY provides youth with paid training and employment opportunities through in-house social enterprises, aimed at keeping youth employed before supporting them in transitioning to the labour force.
-
The EESE team had 68 youth who were employed by our social enterprises, 37 of these youth were on income support with they started with us.
> Read More < -
According to our data analysis, when a young person enters employment with social enterprise, we are seeing positive growth and achievement through our data and evaluation tools.
> Read More <
-
Throughout the year as restrictions lifted, the EESE team rallied forward and made significant progress settling the stage for a strong Q1 for the upcoming year.
> Read More <
-
Choices for Youth is always working towards growth, new opportunities, and enhancing strategic partnership; The EESE team are proud of two outstanding initiatives from this year.
> Read More <
Employment Insurable hours paid to young people.
36,000+
More likely to graduate if youth receives our educational supports
296%
31
24%
Increase in stable and safe housing
Youth transitioned to post-secondary education
“Before coming here, I would not want to go into someone’s office and talk to them. I’ll have the things for the Interview but I won’t want to go in and do it... But now since I’ve came here and done the program and learning some life skills, I feel confident going into any interview room not even knowing the situation just so that they could get to know me as a person.”
— EESE Program Participant
System Engagement
-
![]()
Overview of Choices for Youth Systems Engagement
With big challenges come big opportunities. In April 2020, CFY launched a survey and consultation process that, over the span of two months, reached 486 young people across NL.
-
![]()
Integrated Youth Services Network
This year we continued to build a provincial model of youth support with the goal of operating an additional four sites across the province by 2024 through a provincial model of Integrated Youth Services.
-
![]()
Rapid Tests for Vulnerable Populations
In collaboration with St. John’s Status of Women’s Council, CFY developed a campaign to advocate for the free and accessible provision of rapid tests to vulnerable populations.
-
![]()
Basic Income NL Policy Paper
CFY collaborated with nine other community agencies, including End Homelessness St. John’s, Food First NL, the Provincial Advisory on the Status of Women, Stella’s Circle, Empower, First Light, among others, on the creation of a Basic Income Policy Paper for NL which launched on June 23, 2021.
-
![]()
Supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth With Quadrangle NL
Approximately 23% of the youth who we support at CFY identify as a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ population.
-
![]()
Social Enterprise World Forum
In Fall 2021, CFY co-hosted the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) in partnership with the NL Social Enterprise & Innovation Coalition.
-
![]()
Employment Stability Support Pilot Project
Income Support is the backbone of supporting the most marginalized individuals in our communities and it can also serve as the cornerstone on which to build a future.
-
![]()
Social Procurement Groundwork
Through social enterprises, we have provided demonstration projects to the Government of NL on what's possible through social procurement.
-
![]()
Young Parents’ Resource Centre
Through the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI), CFY has been approved for funding to build 14 units of affordable housing as the first of two stages of development of the Young Parents' Resource Centre (YPRC) for vulnerable young moms and their children.
-
![]()
Charting Next Steps
Tackling the issues of homelessness and poverty requires direct interventions and systems-level engagement. CFY aims to work in collaboration with community and government partners to directly address the systems-level challenges that keep youth in a cycle of poverty and homelessness.
“I pride myself on my ability to build relationships with young people. Many of the young people we work with have previously had many different [support] workers, and that often results in youth having hesitancy in trusting new staff. It takes time to build relationships and trust, but I stick with it – I continuously let them know that I am here for them and will support them however I can. One day they will trust and confide in me, and that really is the best day ever – That is when I know was successful in building that trust and can really dig-in to support them where they are.”
— Jenna, Outreach and Youth Engagement Worker