RAFT

Wishing you a season filled with warmth and the joys of togetherness. With your help, we can give vulnerable Young People shelter and stability. Donate today - https://lnkd.in/ghZG5rrj #Attachment #YouthHomelessnessPrevention #RAFT #RAFT30thAnniversary

The @HomeDepotCanada #OrangeDoorProject campaign helps create new healthy pathways for youth at risk or experiencing homelessness in Canada. Funds raised in St. Catharines will support RAFT. Donate today: https://bit.ly/3zqEw5m

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞.  When we started 30 years ago our focus was on Teens – and it still is. But we have seen, and learned, that when we help Teens re-establish and strengthen their attachment to friends and family, we fortify human connectedness for everyone involved. Communities buzz with warmth and vitality. The hive comes alive. By strengthening one relationship at a time, we nurture a network of connectedness and help prevent homelessness. We call this the Attachment Effect. It might “take a village”, but we have learned that villages begin with human-to-human attachment. #Attachment #YouthHomelessnessPrevention #RAFT #RAFT30thAnniversary

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝. After decades on the front lines, we know that the longer we allow young people to remain homeless, the worse their problems become and the greater their challenges in moving off the street. Disconnected from critical supports and systems, they will often begin to identify as homeless and form surrogate bonds in shelters or urban encampments. Minimizing youth interactions with shelters can limit the likelihood that homelessness becomes a part of their identity. That is why preventing a young person’s first night of being homeless is so important. #Attachment #YouthHomelessnessPrevention #RAFT #RAFT30thAnniversary

Help put an end to youth homelessness in your community. Every donation made @HomeDepotCanada St. Catharines store supports RAFT! Let’s help prevent and end youth homelessness together! #OrangeDoorProject Donate now: https://bit.ly/3zqEw5m

𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. The numbers tell the story: Many people who are on the streets today were homeless when they were younger as well. So how do we stop the carryover effect of housing insecurity that stretches beyond the teenage years? We must start by preventing young people from ending up on a downward spiral in the first place. Our findings point to the importance of intervening earlier in life before there are significant problems. If we can steer young people away from the shelter system, we can chance the trajectory of their lives. #Attachment #YouthHomelessnessPrevention #RAFT #RAFT30thAnniversary

The #OrangeDoorProject campaign is back! From November 12 until December 22, 2024, when you donate in-store at St. Catharines or online, you’re supporting RAFT and helping @HomeDepotCanada ’s mission to help prevent and end youth homelessness in Canada. Donate online or in-store today! https://bit.ly/3zqEw5m

𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐬. After years of increases in the demand for our shelters we knew we had to shift our thinking. So we asked ourselves what it would take to end homelessness and not just apply short-term fixes. Another shelter simply meant that we could offer someone a bed for a few nights. But by building programs based on attaching Teens to school and family, we would keep Teens connected to home and to themselves. The data has proven us right. The answer is not more bricks and mortar, it is fortifying the bonds between people. #Attachment #YouthHomelessnessPrevention #RAFT #RAFT30thAnniversary

𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞-𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. At RAFT, we’ve always known that shelters are not the answer. While they may respond to an emergency need, they do nothing to address the tangled cycle of homelessness and helplessness. The key here is not saying ‘no’ to shelter. It’s about saying, ‘what else?’ Relying on family and natural supports as viable alternatives, RAFT has been able to divert 52% of youth from accessing shelters on a continual basis. Indeed, Shelter Diversion has been so successful that 74% of young people who were redirected the first time did not return. #Attachment #YouthHomelessnessPrevention #RAFT #RAFT30thAnniversary

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥. When we started RAFT we thought we had all the answers, but it became increasingly obvious that we were wrong. Despite the best intentions, we were just not having the impact we needed to have. If we really wanted to end homelessness, we had to first address some burning issues. We had to challenge ourselves to really investigate the data. That forced us to examine our beliefs and theories and led us to exploring unexpected ideas and innovative answers. We learned how to be deeply curious and open to entirely different ways of seeing and solving problems. #Attachment #YouthHomelessnessPrevention #RAFT #RAFT30thAnniversary