Submitted
The public is invited to a free public forum on at-risk and homeless youth on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Adventure Hotel with guest speaker Katherine McParland.
The event is part of B.C.’s Homelessness Action Week, Oct. 8 to 12.
McParland is executive director and founder of the project known as A Way Home Kamloops. It represents an approach to supporting at-risk and homelessness youth that has caught on in name and style across the country and internationally, embraced by Canada’s National Coalition to End Homelessness and by A Way Home America and A Way Home Scotland.
One Kamloops city councillor said of McParland, “She has turned the concept of homeless youth on its head. She has inspired landlords, business owners, the university and provincial, municipal and federal governments to open their eyes to the financial and social cost of ignoring homeless youth.”
This year the Nelson Committee on Homelessness found that 60 per cent of the homeless people counted in Nelson in April had their first homeless experience before they turned 19.
Tim Mushumanski is honourary chair for Nelson’s Homelessness Action Week this year. During his 8½ years as vice- principal at L.V. Rogers Secondary, he says he found the number of high school students who didn’t have stable homes surprising and concerning.
The forum will hear from local youths and service providers about paths into and out of homelessness and what services are being offered and will discuss what challenges they are facing and what might help. Youth from the BC Coalition to End Youth Homelessness, as well as the Nelson and District Youth Centre, Nelson Community Youth Services, Selkirk Students’ Union, Freedom Quest Youth Services, Circle of Indigenous Nations, Nelson CARES, Salvation Army, Our Daily Bread, Ministry of Children and Families regional indigenous youth intern, and Mushumanski have all contributed to the planning of this event.
It’s no surprise that guest speaker McParland has a passion for the cause. She was raised in numerous foster homes in her childhood and upon aging out of care, lived through several experiences of homelessness until she landed in the right place, with enough supports to make a difference in her life.
One of fewer than half of youth in care to graduate from high school in B.C. at the time, McParland went on to university for a human service diploma program, and then to earn a social work degree. She has been appointed to the national Advisory Committee on Homelessness and as a Commissioner with BC Housing. She is co-chair of the BC Coalition to End Youth Homelessness and is working with the BC Representative for Children and Families organizing youth forums throughout the province to hear first-hand from homeless and at-risk youth about their situations, to ensure youth voice is heard in the development of a provincial plan to end youth homelessness.
Seating is limited. Please RSVP to ncoh@nelsoncares.ca or call 250-352-6011, ext. 5266 to reserve a light dinner at the forum.