Mithusan, one of our Eva’s Heroes and front line staff, knows best how young people have been impacted by this pandemic.
Meet Mithusan, a Youth Service Worker at Eva’s Place
A front-line member whose primary responsibility is shelter management and casework. He co-creates case plans with youth experiencing homelessness at Eva’s. Case plans outline how young people will transition out of the shelter and/or back with their family, depending on what situation the youth is coming from and where they want to go.
But COVID-19 has placed that all on hold.
The pandemic has thrown a wrench into those plans. A lot of the Government provided programs and social services that Eva’s youth use have been closed. What is still being offered is now done remotely, causing accessibility issues.
Pre-COVID-19 young people would be gone during the day. They would be at work, school or in employment programs and placements, all integral parts of their case plans to transition out of homelessness.
Everything young people have been working towards has been put on hold.
Their already precarious situations have been made even more so. There are now 40 young people staying indoors around the clock, in a setting that was not designed for that. External program providers that would normally come into work with the youth cannot due to pandemic protocol. “Essentially you have more youth in the shelter, with less staff,” says Mithusan.
Approximately a quarter of Place’s residents are new to Canada. “A lot of our newcomers are waiting on immigration hearings that have been put on hold indefinitely,” says Mithusan. “Some are waiting for work permits, and they are all struggling to figure out their next steps while worrying about how their families back home are coping with COVID-19. It is all stress-inducing.”
During these challenging times, the role of Youth and Services Workers have changed.
They now have a building full of youth who were already experiencing and working through traumas. “Our big challenge now is checking in on everyone and making sure their mental health and their coping strategies are in place to deal with the stressful situation that they are in,” says Mithusan. “We have had to set up and provide the informal counselling pieces. Youth no longer have access to external counsellors, so we are trying to fill that gap.”
Youth and Services Workers also have to be on the floor more making sure youth are practicing physical distancing, which is complicated in a confined space.
“A lot of the activities and programs that the youth would normally go to would help them to cope, and manage the life that they are getting away from. That has all been cancelled. Now they are stuck in a confined space with no way to eliminate their stress,” says Mithusan. “We have a lot m
ore mental health challenges and panic added from what they see in the media. Managing and navigating all this with them has been the most challenging.”
But Mithusan says that they are doing everything within their means to make sure that the young people are supported during these challenging times.
You can be part of ensuring that young people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic are supported!
Turn This
Lunch With Friends
Into This
Harm Reduction Kit
Harm Reduction Kit
YOUR GIFT PROVIDES LIFE-SAVING INFORMATION AND TOOLS TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE BE SAFER ON THE JOURNEY FROM CHAOS TO STABILITY.
Many young people who are homeless are at high risk of overdose and serious illness. When they come to Eva’s, they need harm reduction support to help them deal with substance use challenges.
Turn This
Drinks with Friends
Into This
Food for a Week
Feed a Youth for a Week
YOUR GIFT PROVIDES ONE RESIDENT WITH NUTRITIOUS MEALS AND SNACKS FOR ONE FULL WEEK.
Young people need daily nourishment to develop, be healthy and well, and have energy to thrive. We want to ensure they get fresh, whole foods such as produce, meat, chicken, fish, tofu, eggs, and dairy. Residents at Eva’s emergency shelter get three nutritious meals and two snacks a day.
Turn This
Dinner out with Family
Into This
Life Skill Learning
Life Skills Learning
YOUR GIFT ENABLES YOUTH TO LEARN THE SKILLS THEY NEED TO LIVE INDEPENDENTLY.
Prepare a young person to live their best lives and successfully transition to independent living. Youth get one-on-one and group learning in financial literacy, cooking and nutrition, housing, wellness, and communication and interpersonal skills.
Mithusan, a Youth and Services Worker at Eva’s Place.
“Our big challenge now is checking in on everyone and making sure their mental health and their coping strategies are in place to deal with the stressful situation that they are in,” says Mithusan. “We have had to set up and provide the informal counselling pieces. Youth no longer have access to external counsellors, so we are trying to fill that gap.”
Monique, a Community Support Worker at Eva’s Place.
“A popular activity that we can still do because people can spread out is bingo night,” says Monique. “We normally get donations that we can use for prizes, like a perfume or hair supplies but we no longer can collect those due to COVID concerns, so staff have been hitting the dollar store and buying candies and prizes themselves.”
Oseakina, a Recreation Coordinator at Eva’s Place.
“They would be juggling school and working. Others like to volunteer. Some are complaining of feeling unproductive and I can see that they are feeling down, ” says Oseakina. “But at the same time, the youth are courageous and resilient. I feel like we should be learning from the young people as well. Even though they are in a very vulnerable position, they know that they can make it through.”
At Eva’s we provide shelter, transitional housing, and programming to help young people, who are aged 16-24 and experiencing homelessness, reach their full potential to lead productive, self-sufficient, healthy and inter-dependent lives. Over the course of a year approximately 948 residents find shelter at Eva’s and we house 123 young people every night.
WHO WAS EVA SMITH?
- Eva’s was founded in 1989 by Eva Smith under our original name, North York Emergency Home for Youth.
- Eva Smith was a Jamaican immigrant and Black community leader who worked to address the disparate experiences of Black children in Toronto’s education system.
- Through her work, Eva also shed light on hidden youth homelessness, showing decision-makers the scope of the problem and rallying supporters to do something about it.
- In 1994, one year after Eva’s death and five years after the founding of the organization, Eva’s Place, the first physical shelter for young people was established.
CURRENTLY, EVA’S INITIATIVES FOR HOMELESS YOUTH HAS THREE SITES
Eva’s Place – providing emergency shelter
Eva’s Satellite – providing harm reduction services
Eva’s Phoenix – providing emergency shelter and transitional housing for young people