The Coldest Night of the Year is a winterrific family-friendly fundraising walk in support of local charities. Let’s change the tune for people experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness... because it’s cold out there. Join us on February 22, 2025 - team up, fundraise, and walk with us!
At Durham Youth Services, we partner with youth ages 16 - 24 to achieve and maintain lasting solutions to their housing crisis. We do this in pursuit of our vision to end youth homelessness in Durham Region.
We are best known for operating Joanne's House, Durham's only youth-focused emergency shelter, which offers over 3,000 nights of safety and over 9,000 healthy meals to youth in need each year. However, we know that we will not achieve our vision of ending youth homelessness by simply sheltering youth. Today, DYS offers a variety of programs and wrap-around supports in youth homelessness prevention, rapid rehousing, and housing stability.
We have seen a staggering increase in demand for our services in recent years. From 2022 - 2023, we saw an 88% increase in youth seeking shelter. In the first half of 2024, that number rose another 144%! And, we also know that is just the "tip of the iceberg". Research tells us that 3/5 youth experiencing homelessness are part of the "hidden homeless" population. They are couch-surfing with friends, or living in inadequate conditions, but they are not reaching out for the help that they desperately need. And, every day that they are living with housing insecurity, they are at increased risk of exploitation, abuse/assault, and suicide.
Last year, we were lucky to receive a one-year Youth Opportunities grant from the Home Depot Canada Foundation that allowed us to place a Housing Support Worker inside the school system. We worked for nine months in three schools. In that time, we received 103 referrals of students faculty thought may need support. For the majority of the students, the issue was housing-related, and we were able to connect them to appropriate supports. For 26 of the students, they were in a housing crisis. But, because we were able to intervene early, we were able to secure safe, stable and affordable housing for 24/26 students... that is a 92% success rate!
We learned through this pilot that this program is highly effective in preventing and resolving youth homelessness, and the schools have asked us to continue and expand the support we are offering. Unfortunately, the grant has come to an end in October 2024.
Join us on Saturday, February 22nd, 2025 to walk and fundraise with us through the Coldest Night of the Year (CNOY). All money raised through this year's CNOY campaign will go toward sustaining and expanding our in-school housing support program.
On the corner of Liverpool Road and Bayly Street in Pickering.
Follow the route there and back to complete 2 KM.
Walk the route there and back to complete 5 KM.
The CNOY Team Participant & Donor Services
Toll Free 1.877.743.3413 / Phone 519.603.2250
Email pickering@cnoy.org