At the age of five, Camellia Lawson was taken from her home.

By the time she was 16, the West Shore youth had been in and out of foster homes, adopted, given up by her adopted family, taken in by school friends and even checked into a mental hospital. Some days Lawson didnB次元官网网址檛 know where sheB次元官网网址檇 be the next day, but through it all, she kept her living situation hidden.

B次元官网网址淚 would always say that I was okay, that I was fine, I always had a smile on my face B次元官网网址� Everything was behind the walls,B次元官网网址� says Lawson, now 21. B次元官网网址�(To) a lot of people I just dropped off the face of the earth for a week and came back and had moved. No one knew anything else other than that.B次元官网网址�

Her story isnB次元官网网址檛 uncommon in Greater Victoria. Dozens of youth battle life challenges including homelessness every day and the problem, especially on the West Shore, isnB次元官网网址檛 getting better. Because of the growth of the population, itB次元官网网址檚 getting worse.

B次元官网网址淒o we see (youth) sleeping in the doorways like downtown? No, but itB次元官网网址檚 more like couch surfing, private people taking their kidB次元官网网址檚 friend in,B次元官网网址� says West Shore youth advisor Randy Waldie. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 invisible homelessness that way.B次元官网网址�

Waldie has heard anecdotally about an RCMP officer giving his sleeping bag to a homeless youth in the woods, and of youth residing next to the Galloping Goose Trail because there is nowhere to go here. The West Shore, still among the fastest growing communities in Canada, features two new high schools, both of which are already over capacity and looking at bringing in portables to accommodate incoming youth. All this growth, but the services to accommodate those who may be at risk of homelessness havenB次元官网网址檛 caught up.

B次元官网网址淎ll the services are in Victoria B次元官网网址� I had a client a couple weeks ago, I kept saying you have to go downtown. Our Place (a downtown facility offering nourishment and services for the vulnerable) is a fantastic resource,B次元官网网址� Waldie says. B次元官网网址淚 would be really interested (to know) how many people at Our Place started out in the West Shore. I think we offload our social problems B次元官网网址� yet our food bank out here is used enthusiastically.B次元官网网址�

He believes an emergency shelter made available for youth, one responsive enough to offer a bed and a bowl of soup in the mornings would be a great facility in the West Shore. However, he just doesnB次元官网网址檛 see it happening anytime soon.

Youth advocate Bill McElroy says on any given night, there are approximately 20 West Shore youth with nowhere to stay. They filter through couches or maybe sleep in a vehicle. They spend nights hanging around at the 7-11, around Langford Lake or on the grounds at Royal Roads University and find dry places under apartments in closed parkades. Those that donB次元官网网址檛 have money have few choices he says, but even if they could afford rent, significant barriers exist.

B次元官网网址淚 think the two main challenges there is, if there are houses out there, the youth canB次元官网网址檛 afford it and a lot of landlords donB次元官网网址檛 want to rent to youth anyway because they (believe youth) will beat the place up,B次元官网网址� McElroy says. B次元官网网址淭hey canB次元官网网址檛 sign a legal contract... and the vacancy rates are so low itB次元官网网址檚 really getting expensive.B次元官网网址�

The factors leading to youth homelessness, he said, can be quite different than in the adult homeless population. Common situations include problems at home with parents on drugs, parents moving but the kids deciding to stay, girlfriends or boyfriends kicking them out, disagreements with step-parents and physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Of those youth on the West Shore who need housing, six are in B次元官网网址渄ireB次元官网网址� need, he says.

B次元官网网址淏y dire need I mean there is nowhere for them to go. They wander around, hang around... we donB次元官网网址檛 want them going downtown looking for shelter,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚f they get into trouble and leave home, itB次元官网网址檚 usually late at night and they donB次元官网网址檛 have bus fare or, if the last bus is gone, we donB次元官网网址檛 want a situation where they go downtown. (If) they donB次元官网网址檛 have a bed available there, then they are really stuck. They donB次元官网网址檛 know anyone and have nowhere to go.B次元官网网址�

alim@goldstreamgazette.com

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