Youth shelter unveiled in Orillia as demand escalates
The Lighthouse shelter in Orillia unveiled the Jeffrey Burton Youth wing featuring eight beds for those ages 16 to 24, marking the city's first dedicated youth shelter.
"There are a lot of youth who end up being homeless for various reasons. It may be drug-related, it might be abuse related, mental health-related, whatever it is. But then they're stuck, and how do they start over," said Jim Burton, James A. Burton Family Foundation chair.
The Burton family made the initiative possible with a $1 million donation.
The wing honours Jim's son Jeffrey, who passed away 12 years ago from an accidental overdose at the age of 31 after living sober for several years.
"We became very involved as a family with this wonderful project, bringing hope to people that are on the street," Burton said.
The wing has been up and running for the past year and, in 2023, helped 55 young individuals.
Along with beds, it provides access to resources and support, including counselling, health care and job training.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
Staff say they are full almost every night and have a waiting list.
"Without any other location or any other shelter, we wanted to open something to keep youth safe. But we always knew that this wasn't the best location, but a great location in the time being," said Lighthouse Shelter executive director Linda Goodall.
Now, the shelter has a new vision. Last week, staff proposed a full-time youth supportive housing complex to city council.
"Somewhere where we can have the youth shelter off property and off property is actually key because we want to make sure they are close to schools, close to families," explained Goodall.
The Lighthouse asked for a 20,000-square-foot facility with 20 to 30 units to separate the younger individuals from the adult clientele.
So far, council is on board.
"It's early stages, but there are several possible locations that could work. This is exciting for us as council because one of the priorities we set when we started out was to look after the most vulnerable," noted Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac.
The mayor said they would wait for a staff report in consultation with the County of Simcoe, which would determine the next steps. In the meantime, Goodall said the shelter will continue conversations with the council.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Inflation is down, wages are up. Why are Canadians still frustrated with the economy?
The federal finance minister has been taking every opportunity to remind frustrated Canadians that after a bumpy pandemic recovery, the nation's economy is actually doing a lot better.
Australian foreign minister raises allegations with Indian counterpart of targeting Sikhs in Canada
Australia's foreign minister said Tuesday she raised allegations with her Indian counterpart that India has targeted Sikh activists in Canada.
'Be ready for both': Canadians prepare for any outcome as Americans head to the polls
Millions of Americans are heading to the polls Tuesday as a chaotic presidential campaign reaches its peak in a deeply divided United States, where voters in only a handful of battleground states will choose the country’s path forward.
Months after VRBO booking, Taylor Swift fan told home 'not available' during Vancouver concert
A frustrated Taylor Swift fan is speaking out after being pushed from a short-term rental she booked for the upcoming Vancouver leg of the superstar’s Eras Tour.
Canada Post, union, still disagree over weekend delivery following weekend talks
Canada Post and the union representing its workers are commenting on how weekend talks for a new contract went, with the employer calling them less productive than they'd hoped and the union claiming their employer is focused on flexibility to deliver parcels at the lowest possible cost.
Trudeau and Harris? Poilievre and Trump? Here's who Canadians think would work best with: survey
As Americans prepare to elect their next president on Tuesday, new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests Canadians hold differing views as to which federal party leaders would be best suited to deal with either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris.
B.C. port employers launch lockout at terminals in labour dispute with workers
Employers at British Columbia ports say they are going ahead with locking out more than 700 foremen across the province after strike activities from union members began.
Tropical Storm Rafael spins toward the Cayman Islands as Cuba prepares for hurricane hit
Tropical Storm Rafael chugged toward the Cayman Islands on Tuesday and was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane en route to Cuba.
UN refugee chief says reducing refugee targets is wise if it prevents backlash
The head of the United Nations refugee agency says it is wise of Canada to scale back the number of new refugees it plans to resettle if that helps stabilize the housing market and prevents backlash against newcomers.