REGINA – As the chill of winter nears, Regina’s homeless population is beginning to look for a warm place to stay.
One of the commonly overlooked populations are homeless youth, like Demi Rempel, who has spent countless nights on the steps of a Regina church.
Rempel, 17, has been homeless the last two years after leaving what she calls an abusive situation.
Her challenge has been maintaining a steady job to help find a home.
“They see me, a kid, who smells, isn’t properly dressed, my hair is a mess,” said Rempel. “I look like I just woke up from sleeping on the side of the street.”
Rempel says she has accessed shelter services before, but places like the Street Culture Project can only take her in on an emergency basis.
The organization is working to accept more youth at its shelter, but with 15 beds plus another 15 permanent housing spaces, there is now a wait list, leading kids to turn elsewhere.
“Couch surfing, living in garages, overpopulated houses,” said Dustin Browne, Street Culture’s director of housing. “There is a number of unseen homelessness.”
Browne says Street Culture has take 178 different teens into its shelter over the last year and a half alone.
Souls Harbour Rescue Mission is working to launch a drop-in program at its youth centre to provide the skills homeless teens may be missing.
Those skills include job hunting and connecting with the right social agencies.
“Going from service to service, ‘Where can I get food, where can I get shelter?'” said Rebecca Cochrane of the shelter. “Obviously, there are services out there but I think it’s difficult for anybody.”
Adding to the challenge for many teens, an upbringing that may not offer hope.
“First they have to catch the vision that their life is worth it and they can do things beyond what their current experience has portrayed to them,” Cochrane said.
That belief, Rempel has no shortage of. She sees her future clearly.
“Kids going through what I’m going through, I want to help them. That’s my goal.”
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