How CSRF helped Montreal-based Dans la rue develop a strategy to stop youth homelessness before it can begin

As the largest organization in Quebec supporting young people experiencing homelessness and other vulnerabilities, Montreal-based Dans la rue suddenly found itself at the epicentre of the frontline response when the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020.

“The face of youth homelessness quickly changed,” says Anne Lauzon, project manager for youth homelessness prevention at Dans la rue. “We started seeing more young people experiencing homelessness, changes in the types of substances young people are using, and an increase in mental health concerns.”

These challenges have not subsided in the wake of the pandemic. In fact, every year since 2020, Dans la rue has served 300 new young people — for a total of about 1,000 annually.

Recognizing an urgent need to invest in prevention strategies, the team at Dans la rue successfully applied for funding support from the Community Services Recovery Fund (CSRF) through long-time partner Centraide of Greater Montreal.

With prevention previously taking a backseat to crisis response, the funding made it possible for Dans la rue to hire Lauzon, whose role is entirely dedicated to developing and implementing a strategy to prevent youth homelessness.

Over the past year, Lauzon has consulted extensively with young people, frontline workers, social workers, and partners both in Quebec and across the country to learn about effective prevention approaches and gaps in services.

Through these consultations, she identified two key areas of focus: strengthening the transition to independence for youth exiting the child welfare system at age 18 and collaborating with schools to address early warning signs of homelessness.

“We found that more than half of all young people served by Dans la rue had recently left the care of the child welfare system,” says Lauzon. “This indicated an urgent need to provide a range of supports during this crucial period of transition, including support for housing, employment, education, mental health, and more.”

Under Lauzon’s leadership, Dans la rue has been able to work toward the full implementation of its prevention continuum model. With an emphasis on community-based partnerships with schools and other local organizations, the model is shifting the organization’s clinical practices to focus on identifying young people at risk and helping them access the supports and services they need before they can fall into homelessness.

“Our ultimate goal is to reduce the number of young people experiencing homelessness and seeking support at Dans la rue,” says Lauzon. “CSRF has made it possible for us to put a strong strategy in place to achieve this goal.”