Durham Youth Services

Durham Youth Services provides programs for at-risk and homeless youth in the Durham Region to prevent homelessness, provide shelter and other opportunities that support youth. The programs they offer include: Emergency Shelter, Youth Reconnect, Housing First for Youth (HF4Y), Housing Support Program, and Transitional Housing. Their Youth Reconnect program is the only youth-focused homelessness prevention program in the Durham Region and is modelled on the highly successful Youth Reconnect program offered by the RAFT in Niagara/Hamilton. The Youth Reconnect Counsellor works intensively with the youth, their parents, family members and other supports in order to keep their family intact. Common supports include: assisting the youth to stay in or return to school, linking the youth to support services (e.g. mental health, addictions, family counselling), and connecting the youth with work opportunities or job skills training as needed.