Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) is a rights-based intervention for young people (aged 13-24) who experience homelessness, or who are at risk. It is designed to address the needs of developing adolescents and young adults by providing them with immediate access to housing that is safe, affordable and appropriate, and the necessary and age appropriate supports that focus on health, well-being, life skills, engagement in education and employment, and social inclusion.
Hear Stephen Gaetz from the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and Melanie Redman from A Way Home Canada discuss the program model in more detail.
About the Speakers
Stephen Gaetz
Dr. Stephen Gaetz is the President and CEO of the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and professor in the Faculty of Education at York University. Dr. Gaetz is committed to a research agenda that foregrounds social justice and attempts to make research on homelessness relevant to policy and program development. His research on homeless youth has focused on their economic strategies, health, education and legal and justice issues, and more recently, he has focused his attention on policy and in particular the Canadian response to homelessness.
Melanie Redman
Melanie Redman is the President and CEO of A Way Home Canada. Previously, Melanie was the Director of National Initiatives at Eva’s. In that role she directed the National Learning Community on Youth Homelessness, the Eva’s Awards for Ending Youth Homelessness, and the Mobilizing Local Capacity to End Youth Homelessness Program. She currently serves as the Chair of the Youth Homelessness Research Priority Area at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness. Melanie is also the Chair of the Board of the Rainbow Food Education Foundation.