Upstream Canada: Preventing youth homelessness through school engagement

Adapted from Upstream Australia, Upstream Canada is a social innovation led by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and A Way Home Canada and is operationalized through the collaborative and committed partnerships of schools and community-based social service organizations. [...] Over 40% of youth first experience homelessness before they are 16, and a lack of supports means that many youth become entrenched into homelessness before being able to access help, when needs become chronic and costly to systems and more importantly, to human lives. [...] And for them to be able to connect with someone and see that there’s a way out now, instead of waiting until they’re out of school to have a way out, I think it’s really cool.” UPSTREAM KELOWNA SCHOOL EDUCATOR Upstream Kelowna has been funded through generous corporate and philanthropic donors and requires sustainable funding to continue supporting youth to thrive and prevent homelessness. [...] Don’t leave!’ They’ll say, ‘We want this in every school.’” UPSTREAM SUPPORT PERSON INCREASING IMPACT As Upstream Canada is sustained and scaled across communities, the goal is to continue supporting young people who experience extreme barriers to resiliency and preventing more youth from becoming homeless and disengaged from school. [...] Ultimately, the goal is to increase the impact of Upstream Kelowna by expanding to all eight public middle schools in the community.