Table of Contents

Mission Statement and Contact InformationPage 2

Agency Biography Page 3

Organization Flow ChartPage 4

Board of DirectorsPage 5

President’s ReportPage 6

Executive Director’s ReportPage 8

Program Reports

Alliance Club (Club)Page 11

Kiwanis Emergency Youth Shelter (KEYS)Page 13

Life Skills Program (LSP)Page 15

Specialized Youth Detox (SYD)Page 17

Mental Health Liaison Program(MHLP)Page 19

Supported Independent Living (SIL)Page 20

Summer Opportunities Program (SOP)Page 22

Youth & Family Support Services (YFSS)Page 23

Youth Services Outreach Team (YSOT)Page 25

Recent InitiativesPage 27

  • you(th) can cook
  • You(Th) Can Garden
  • Down to earth
  • outlet

YES would like to thank our following funders for their continued support through the years as without this support we would not be able to continue to offer these vital programs to the youth and families in our community.

Ministry of Children and Family Development
Federal Government
United Way
BC Housing / Island Health
Various Foundations
Donations
Souper Bowls of Hope / Victoria Business
Community
City of Victoria
Various Grants
Various Service Clubs

Mission Statement and Contact Information


Mission Statement

The Society’s principle mission is twofold:

First, to assist youth to remove themselves from the

high risk environment of the street and make the transition

to healthier and more constructive life situations.

Second, to help youth make positive choices,

which will prevent involvement in at risk behaviour

or connection with the street scene.

YES OFFICE
533 Yates Street
Victoria, B.C.
V8W 1K7
Tel: 250-383-3514
Fax: 250-383-3812
/ KEYS
2117 Vancouver Street
Victoria, B.C.
V8T 3Z9
Tel: 250-386-8282
Fax: 384-0778
/ SYD
1928 Ashgrove Street
Victoria, B.C.
V8R 4N7
Tel: 250-383-3582
Fax: 592-9862
/ CLUB
533 Yates Street
Victoria, B.C.
V8W 1K7
Tel: 250-361-3923
Fax: 250-383-3812

Website:

Facebook:

Agency Biography

The Victoria Youth Empowerment Society (YES) came into being in its present incarnation in October of 1992. Before that date, the Alliance Club (Youth Development Society) and the Association for Street Kids had been working with ‘street kids’ in Victoria since 1986. At the time of amalgamation, the only programs that existed within YES were the Alliance Club, GOALS (Getting off Alcohol and Substances) and the Storefront Drop-in.

From the humble beginnings and with a few location changes along the way, YES continued to grow and develop programs for youth based on emerging needs in our community.

  • 1992 - The Housing Support Program begins.
  • 1994 - The first Youth Outreach Team (YOOTS) is formed, pairing a youth outreach worker and a

Victoria City Police Officer.

  • 1996 - A second YOOTS Team is added.
  • 1997 - The first Summer Opportunities Program (SOP) operates out of the Alliance Club.
  • 1998 - The Liaison Worker for Sexually Exploited Youth program (SEY) begins.
  • 1998 - ACCESS Storefront School opens at the YES Office on Yates Street.
  • 1999 - Specialized Youth Detox (SYD) opens as a part time residential program.
  • 2000 - Funding is secured for a part time Life Skills Day Program. This program continued to

run through to the Spring of 2005.

  • 2003 - Specialized Youth Detox goes full time and moves to a new location.
  • 2003 - The contract for the Kiwanis Emergency Youth Shelter (KEYS) is awarded to YES.
  • 2004 - YES continues to work with the Victoria Youth Clinic and various funders and supporters

to open a Youth Clinic at the 533 Yates location.

  • 2004 - Funding is cut resulting in the loss of the second YOOTS Team.
  • 2006 - VIHA takes over the contract for the GOALS program.
  • 2006 - The OARS (Outreach and Recreational Services) one-year program begins.
  • 2007 - The Youth Hospitality and Training Centre (TAJ) including Youth Housing and Life Skills opens.
  • 2007 - The Mental Health Liaison Program begins
  • 2007 - ACCESS Storefront School moves to SJ Willis Alternative School District 61
  • 2009 - The Youth Hospitality and Training Centre, Housing and Life Skills is temporarily suspended due to

funding.

  • 2010 - MCFD embarks on a contract restructuring process, resulting in the Sexually Exploited Youth

Program (SEY) and the Youth Outreach Program (YOOTS) contracts being terminated.

  • 2011 - YES is awarded the Core Victoria Youth Services contract. The Life Skills Program, Youth

Services Outreach Program and the Youth and Family Outreach Program begin.

  • 2011 -YES is awarded the contract for the Supported Independent Living Program (SIL)
  • 2013 - YES partners with GT Hiring Solutions on a pilot project. The Employment Liaison Program begins.
  • 2014- The Victoria Youth Clinic opens fulltime at the YES 533 Yates location.

- Employment Liaison Program ends.

  • 2016- Outlet and You(th) Can Cook begin.
  • 2017- The Mental Health Liaison Program ends.

- Down to Earth Begins.

FLOW CHART GOES HERE
Board Of Directors

Paul Vining Brenda Edwards

Investment Broker Judge

President Director at Large

Wendy Graham Marlene Schlotterbeck

Business OwnerRetired

Vice-PresidentDirector at Large

Gerry ThompsonMichele Davis

Senior Investment Advisor Real Estate Broker

Director at LargeTreasurer

Tessa LloydSophie Yoon *

Registered Clinical Counsellor Graphic Designer

Secretary Director at Large

Ken SherwoodHelen McAllister

AccountantCommunity Patron

Director at Large Director at Large

Rebecca thomas *Julia Diamond

University StudentCompensation Analyst

Director at Large Director at Large

*Resigned during 2015-2016 Fiscal Year

President’s Report

What we do at the Victoria Youth Empowerment Society is important, it’s needed, and most of all, our Agency is an integral part of the fabric that comforts and protects at-risk youth and their families in Greater Victoria. What we do doesn’t happen as an afterthought, it doesn’t happen because of a mandate, it happens because our dedicated staff, our volunteers, our generous donors, our Board of Directors and of course our Executive Director, Pat Griffin, make it happen. Countless hours go into creating and maintaining a welcoming and safe environment at all of our facilities and our dedication to excellence, year after year is the foundation of our success. The issues we deal with don’t go away, and with each passing year we see a new group of youth who enter the age of vulnerability, and it is our job to make sure we identify, establish contact, and build trusting relationships with the goal of helping the at-risk youth navigate the often difficult teenage years. The youth entering teenage years have little experience and are essentially “rookies” when it comes to dealing with the struggles they will encounter. Fortunately, at the Victoria Youth Empowerment Society we are experts, we have the veteran experience these young people need to assist them in getting back on the right path and staying on it – we are life shepherds for the young.

Once again, I have had the pleasure to act as the President of the Board for our thriving agency and I would like to touch on some of the amazing accomplishments that we have had over this past year.

Programs funding and fundraising is one of the single greatest challenges we face on an annual basis. Fortunately, we start each new fiscal year with one major leg up, the permanence we have by owning our 533 Yates St. location and I can’t thank our predecessor Board of Directors enough for thinking outside the box and securing the home-base for our agency.

This past year marked the beginning of a new relationship with El Furniture Warehouse as we put in place a long-term lease for our most valuable street level retail space.

When it comes to fundraising, 2017 will forever be known as the year of Michelle Davis. Michelle started the year by nominating YES to be the recipient of a fundraising effort by 100 Plus Women; we received a huge cheque (literally!) in the amount of $28,600.00. But that wasn’t enough for Michelle, as the board contemplated what life was going to look like for “The Souper Bowls of Hope” fundraiser without the tireless annual contribution of event founder Helen Hughes, Michelle stepped forward and volunteered to become the event Chairperson. To be clear, that’s not like volunteering to make dinner, or to make dinner and do the dishes – it is a massive undertaking and one that the Board warned Michelle about. Not to be swayed Michelle threw herself into the event with such commitment and passion that she inspired others to join her on her crusade, and what a crusade it was. Souper Bowls built on its storied history and became financially the most successful event in its 19-year history by raising over $105,000 dollars. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for all of your effort and fundraising ability, way to go Michelle! Great news for YES, Michelle has agreed to continue on as Event Chairperson for “Bowls 2018”!

On a very sad note, one of an original Souper Bowls supporters and potter, Betty Burroughs passed away peacefully at home on May 7, 2016 in Victoria, BCwith her children, Lynn and Neil, by her side. She was loved by many and will be dearly missed.

A few other fundraising notes to mention:

Thrifty Foods nominated YES for a grant from Newman’s Own and we were the successful recipients of $10,000.

The Odd Fellows of Victoria held a number of fundraising events resulting in a gift of $6,900 for our Outlet Program.

Coast Capital awarded YES $16,000 for the Community Kitchen that is running out of the KEYS location.

Looking forward, 2018 brings a new year of CARF accreditation a process we at the Agency are oh so familiar.

In closing, I would like to thank everyone for the continued effort in making the Victoria Youth Empowerment Society a vital and growing agency that serves a need, makes a difference, and strives to be better, each and every year.

Paul Vining

President, YES Board of Directors

Executive Director’s Report

As can be seen throughout the brief summaries of the various program reports in the 2016-2017 Annual Report, the Society continues to annually assist 100s of youth and families.

A few of the highlights include:

  • The Kiwanis Emergency Youth Shelter (KEYS) received 889 requests for assistance and a total of 206 youth accessed the residential component of the program.
  • Our Youth and Family Counsellors assisted 107 families which translated to a total of 212 individual youth and parents.
  • The Alliance Club was accessed by 761 individual youth for a total 4900 visits.
  • Life Skills supported 122 youth through drop-in, outreach support, and group workshops.
  • 113 youth were admitted into the Specialized Youth Detox (SYD).
  • The Mental Health Liaison program assisted over 60 youth and parents.
  • Over 180 youth participated in the Summer Opportunities program.
  • The Youth Outreach Team supported over 350 youth.
  • The Supported Independent Living program assisted 50 youth.
  • The creation of three new projects: You(th) Can Cook, You(th) Can Garden and the Down to Earth Program.
  • 60 youth participated in Outlet activities.

A further examination of the annual program reports indicates a number of ongoing and developing trends such as:

  • In most program areas there continues to be a higher concentration of females than males.
  • We continue to experience large numbers of youth transitioning into adulthood, often with few community and familial supports. This has resulted in more referrals to adult services and numerous youth being assisted with their transition to independent living.
  • There is growing concern that many of the street entrenched and heavy drug using youth are accessing adult services such as AVI and Our Place.
  • There has been a slight increase in the number youth who are administering drugs intravenous.
  • Risk factors that are prominent across all programs include: poor employment skills, substandard or no housing, self-esteem, problems at school, family breakdown, bullying, sexual exploitation, lack of basic needs, and limited life skills.
  • These risk factors have been intensified with a growing number of youth experiencing both mental health concerns (such as depression, suicidal ideation, and severe anxiety) and increased substance use. In the past fiscal year 151 (73%) youth who accessed KEYS, reported substance use, and 88 (43%) reported cognitive impairments. In addition, 75% of youth who accessed the Specialized Youth Detox program and 54% of those who accessed the KEYS identified mental health concerns.
  • In many programs the average length of service continues to increase due to the multiple and complex needs of clients and the lack of needed services in the community.
  • This past year we encountered a number of youth that had overdosed on heroin or crystal meth that contained a lethal dose of fentanyl.

“Homeless” youth and the lack of appropriate housing has constrained most YES services this past year. Last year the agency made over 420 referral/connections for youth seeking housing. However, there are a number of factors that impact a successful transition to independence including a very low vacancy rate across Victoria and an increasingly limited number of youth housing programs. Additionally, many of these youth are without the emotional, social or financial resources to successfully transition to independent and returning home is not an option due to family breakdown. The disappointment and frustration in not securing housing has meant that some youth are choosing to sleep outdoors, couch surf, or access shelters, rather than work on a plan to secure housing, a trend that correlates to mental health concerns, substance abuse and a general distrust of the “the system”.

To help address some of the shortfalls noted above we have undertaken a number of initiatives:

  • As a result of fundraising and various grants we have established a Healthy Support Fund to enhance youth potential with employment, housing and recreational opportunities. Youth are assisted with certified training, work clothing, housing start up food and furnishings and access to healthy leisure activities.
  • In collaboration with community partners we implemented a program for LGBTQ youth.
  • In addition to the youth who participated in the You(th) Can Cook program, YES has offered Food Safe Certification open to all youth at no cost.
  • Partnered with Anomura Housing and the Coalition to End Homelessness to pursue additional housing options for youth.
  • Connected with various adult serving agencies to explore opportunities to better transition youth and coordinate services for youth accessing these services.
  • Provided staff training in the admiration of naloxone and opened up the SYD program so that we can now take youth on Suboxone.
  • Changed the hours that the Alliance Club operates and are in discussions to look at increasing the age limit in the Club.
  • Are in the midst of organizing an anxiety workshop/support group for youth.
  • Increased our commitment and capacity to offer positive healthy recreational, cultural and social activities for youth.
  • Increased our outreach scope in the downtown core.

All programs are now tracking youth goals in areas such as: substance use, mental health, housing, employment, school/training, family issues, life skills, etc. so that we can provide an overview of our agency outcomes. In coordination with our community partners the agency and staff has achieved a number of outcome indicators during the past year. A few examples include:

  • Assisted over 140 youth to transition to live independently.
  • 175 youth received assistance with employment preparation or training.
  • 115 youth were mediated/reunified back to the family home or received a foster placement.
  • Connected over 350 youth to primary health care services.
  • Over 250 youth were connected to addictions and mental health services.
  • Helped numerous youth to obtain personal identification including; birth certificates, social insurance numbers, medical care cards, B.C. ID cards etc.
  • Supported over 100 youth both individually and in group settings with the acquisition of the life skills in areas such as: budgeting, healthy family connections, goal setting, time management, communication, conflict resolution, self-esteem etc.
  • Provided basic needs (food, clothing, laundry, showers, hygiene supplies, shelter) for over 500 youth.
  • Helped over 200 youth to secure or maintain their housing.
  • Delivered educational sessions both individually and in group settings for youth regarding: alcohol and drug use, risk reduction, dealing with anxiety and depression, stress management, self-care, nutrition, building support networks etc.
  • Worked with over 150 youth to support their educational plans and goals while working with secondary and post-secondary to increase school attendance and engagement.
  • Worked with over 175 parents to facilitate improved family relations.

In the 2016/17 fiscal year we continued to remain vigilant in an effort to reduce costs and maximize our revenue. There were significant cost pressures with substantial cuts to our United Way funding and major deficits for the Alliance Club and Kiwanis Emergency Youth Shelter programs. As a result of funding cuts we have had to discontinue our Mental Health Liaison program.

In addition to our core provincial government contracts with MCFD and Island Health, we also received funding from the City of Victoria, and the Federal Government to assist with our summer and outreach programs. Special thanks to major grant support from the 100 Plus Women, Capital Savings, Newman’s Own Foundation, the Victoria Foundation, the United Way, Odd Fellows Columbia #2, the Odd Fellows Bastion Lodge #4, and the Kiwanis Club of Victoria. A particular thanks goes to Michele Davis and the Souper Bowls Committee for their extraordinarily successful fundraising event.

Volunteers are involved in every facet of the agency; from the enthusiastic individuals that make our fundraisers possible, to those that supply meals for the Alliance Club, and the volunteers that assist in individual programs. YES values the immense support, commitment, expertise, and above all, the thousands of hours of time these volunteers put forth helping vulnerable youth and their families.