'Youth experiencing unstable housing is growing in our community': Rebound Child and Youth Services

Rebound Child and Youth Services logo. Courtesy of Rebound Child and Youth Services Facebook.

By: Natalie Hamilton, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, KawarthaNOW

From being unsafe in the family home to having parents or caregivers who've forbidden their return, youth are not immune to becoming part of the country's growing population of people without housing.

That's why Cobourg's Rebound Child and Youth Services (Rebound) offers programs and continues to develop new resources to prevent youth homelessness in Northumberland. 

The not-for-profit agency that supports children, youth, and families has announced it's a local beneficiary of the Home Depot Canada Foundation's "Holiday Orange Door Project Campaign" combatting homelessness, which runs until December 22 at the Cobourg Home Depot and online.

"We know that youth experiencing unstable housing is growing in our community," Rebound's executive director Sam Rockbrune told kawarthaNOW.

"Funds raised through this campaign will help us provide supports, such as mental health services and our family wellness hub, to take preventative steps for youth homelessness. Rebound is already working on prevention for youth homelessness with our current programs and rolling out exciting new programs in the new year."

Rebound services offer a private and confidential process that can assist children, youth, and their families with options and resources for programming. The organization believes that the most effective services are those that are provided in a responsive and respectful manner and in a partnership with families.  The agency serves more than 1,800 young people each year. 

In 2018, Rebound partnered with Northumberland County Community & Social Services to deliver the trusteeship program for youth aged 16 to 17 receiving Ontario Works (OW). 

"At the time, I was the trusteeship caseworker, and the case load was 13 individuals," recalled Krystyne Gillespie, Rebound's outreach and fund development manager, adding the case load has since quadrupled. 

"We see approximately 50 to 60 individuals per year, with around 40 to 45 of those (youth) continuing to need support through the program," she said. "The trusteeship is not just about receiving financial support through OW. Our goal is for the youth to stay in school, graduate and go on to post-secondary education or into the workforce."

Rebound provides clients with emotional health supports, access to food and clothing items, and strives to serve as a bridge to other resources, as necessary. 

The agency saw, on average, two unsheltered youth per year in the first few years of the program.

"So far in 2024, we currently have seven youth who are experiencing homelessness," Gillespie noted. 

She said Rebound is aware of a large number of youths who are living with grandparents or other family members to provide space between them and their parents, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Youth homelessness is often unseen, as youth are resilient and will find places to stay or couch-surf," she said. "I would encourage parents to ask questions if their child is having a friend sleep over more often or throughout the week."

"Ultimately, Rebound hopes to prevent youth homelessness by helping families creating stronger bonds, building their skills around communication and conflict management, for example. Families that learn together, grow together, (and) hopefully stay together."

As for the Holiday Orange Door Project Campaign, customers can donate during checkout at the Cobourg Home Depot or by visiting orangedoorproject.ca and selecting Cobourg as the location for their donation.

All local donations will help Rebound provide counselling and therapy, youth justice diversion, youth homelessness prevention programs, along with family and parenting support services. 

Since 2022, the Cobourg Home Depot has raised over $25,000 for Rebound through the Orange Door Project fundraising campaign, an initiative of the Home Depot Canada Foundation.

The foundation is a Canadian registered charity supporting 127 organizations across the country that are committed to preventing and ending youth homelessness. To create new paths for youth experiencing homelessness or at risk of doing so, the foundation will invest $125 million by 2030.