Ottawa, ON, June 24, 2015– On Wednesday, June 24 at 9:30 a.m., Youth Services Bureau (YSB) staff and Home Depot associate volunteers from the Gloucester, Nepean, Barrhaven, Kanata, Orleans and South Keys stores will complete revitalization projects at YSB’s Young Men’s Emergency Shelter. These projects will directly benefit the youth YSB serves every day.
The Young Men’s Shelter offers young men aged 12 to 20 immediate access to safe housing. Open 365 days a year, the Young Men’s Shelter is always ready to welcome youth with nowhere else to turn. The shelter is much more than a place to stay, as additional supports are also available 24 hours a day. The shelter has 30 beds and offers both emergency shelter and transitional housing.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to make the young men’s temporary home more welcoming, “said Joanne Lowe, executive director of YSB. “Men make up a disproportionate number of homeless people in Canada. Working with these young men and addressing their specific issues means that we help prevent them from joining the ranks of chronic homelessness.”
The Home Depot Canada Foundation partners with hundreds of charitable partners across the country to address the housing needs of vulnerable youth in Canada. Through Team Depot, the company’s associate-led volunteer program, thousands of Home Depot associates volunteer their time and talents to positively transform neighbourhoods and perform basic repairs and modifications to homes and facilities that provide youth with access to safe, stable housing and support services.
“Our associates are helping put an end to youth homelessness by taking a leadership role in their communities.” said Bill Lennie, chair, board of directors, The Home Depot Canada Foundation and president, The Home Depot Canada. “By volunteering on projects with local partners, associates are supporting physical improvements to bring housing and hope to youth-in-need.”
The Home Depot Canada Foundation is committed to ending youth homelessness. It has made a three-year $10-million pledge to provide vulnerable youth with the support they require to establish independent, productive lives. To learn more, visit homedepot.ca/foundation.
Did you know?
- 30,000 people are homeless in Canada; 20 per cent of these people are youth.
- One in five shelter users in Canada are youth, ages 16 to 24.
- Youth are one of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population.
About the Youth Services Bureau
YSB is one of the largest and most comprehensive non-profit agencies serving youth in Ottawa. It offers over 30 programs and serves 3,000 youth and families every month in the areas of youth engagement, housing and homelessness, mental health, youth justice and employment.
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For more information, please contact:
Suzanne Fraser, Youth Services Bureau
613-277-7103
sfraser@ysb.ca