Following the pathway from adolescent to adulthood can be challenging for many youth.
Those who stray and find themselves homeless and/or struggling with mental health issues often could have kept their lives on track if help was provided in their school years instead of “flying under the radar.”
A new pilot project was launched by Central Okanagan Public Schools called Upstream Kelowna, the result of the Journey Home Strategy funded by the City of Kelowna which outlined 10 action plans, one being a partnership with the school district, with the goal to establish a five – year plan to address homelessness in the city.
Based on a similar program started in Australia, Upstream Kelowna was created in January 2020 for two middle schools, Springvalley in October 2021 and KLO in April 2022.
Partner stakeholders in Upstream Kelowna beyond the school district and city include The Bridge, Foundry Kelowna, ARC Programs, Okanagan Boys and Girls Club and Westbank First Nation.
Philippa Putlitz, Upstream Kelowna coordinator, said the school-based prevention strategy reflects the impact of school students on homelessness numbers.
Putlitz, speaking to the Central Okanagan Board of Education about the program Wednesday (May 11), said according to the 2018 Without a Home Survey, 35,000 Canadians are homeless on any given night and 40 per cent began to experience homelessness before the age of 16 .
She explained to keep kids from disengaging from school is critical to giving them a chance to find success as adults.
The operating template for Upstream Kelowna was created by the Canada Upstream Project, a national initiative aimed at preventing, rather than responding to, youth homelessness across the country.
Using a population screening tool, the project identifies at-risk youth and connects them to supports that help them remain in school and maintain stable housing.
The screening tool involves a voluntary assessment, analysis of the data collected, validation through follow-up interviews and providing connection to support agencies.
Putlitz said the first assessment was voluntary for Grade 8 KLO Middle students and had a 96 percent response.
The results in total for both schools saw access to coordinated support provided to more than 50 students/families and identified 138 students with possible risk factors.
“The impact of the assessments was we discovered 39 per cent of our respondents were students who had an unknown risk they were facing in their lives, who were flying under the radar,” she said.
“If we can identify and help those kids before those risks become more serious issues, that will help keep them in school.”
Of those receiving support, 43 per cent reported increased stability at home; 53 percent felt an increased sense of belonging, safety and security; 31 percent reported improved attendance at school; and 27 percent saw improvement from feelings of depression and hopelessness.
Family issues at home and mental health service needs, both at 68 per cent, were the two biggest demands for coordinated support services.
Putlitz said dealing with health and social issues at home and school is intense work but the success of making an impact on the quality of life for families is a worthwhile outcome.
That success was acknowledged with Upstream Kelowna winning a youth homelessness prevention award from Making The Shift, a youth homelessness social innovation lab research project.
She said her enthusiastic ambitions for Upstream Kelowna to expand are only limited by access to the financial resources to make it happen.
Her goal for 2022-23 is continue working to find the funding to increase the scope of service and work to upgrade the assessments to four schools, which would impact some 800 students.
Moyra Baxter, chair of the board of education, said she would like to see the program name changed to Upstream Central Okanagan to reflect the involvement of schools in Lake Country and the Westside.
“There is a great need for programs like this and we know how important they are,” Baxter said.
“This is a powerful program to engage with families to help deal with problems they face early on before they become something much bigger,” added trustee Chantelle Desrosiers.
Central Okanagan Regional District City of Kelowna
