Choices for Youth, a St. John’s organization that provides housing supports to at-risk youth, received national recognition today (Monday, October 29) for its Train for Trades program, which provides young people with hands-on work experience in the trades. Choices for Youth offers Train for Trades employment opportunities to young people through a partnership with Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation.
“This national recognition is highly deserved and I congratulate Choices for Youth for the innovative programming it is creating to help young people realize their potential,” said the Honourable Paul Davis, Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC). “Train for Trades provides youth with real-life skills and work experience that can help them pursue satisfying careers, and NLHC is proud to be a partner in this valuable project.”
Choices for Youth is one of four organizations to receive the $25,000 award from Eva’s Initiatives, a national organization aimed at creating long-term solutions for homeless youth. Choices for Youth works with approximately 600 young people each year in the St. John’s area, providing housing, training, skills development, supports and referrals.
In 201O, the Provincial Government announced more than $560,000 in funding to support the administration of Train for Trades. Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation and the Canadian Union of Public Employees have partnered with Choices for Youth on the program to complete home energy efficiency retrofits on NLHC units. By the end of this year 150 units will be completed, and in the process, approximately 40 young people will have received hands-on work experience and valuable training from skilled workers in the construction industry.
Supporting employment opportunities for at-risk youth is in keeping with the Provincial Government’s Social Housing Plan for Newfoundland and Labrador – Secure Foundations, released by the Provincial Government in August 2009. The plan outlines a 10-year vision for social housing aimed at improving the housing circumstances of low-income households and helping create healthier communities.
– 30 –
Media contacts:
Jason Card
Director of Communications
Department of Transportation and Works
709-729-3015, 699-0470
jasoncard@gov.nl.ca
Jenny Bowring
Manager, Communications
Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation
709-724-3055
jmbowring@nlhc.nl.ca
The Honourable Paul Davis, Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation, will speak at the Eva’s Initiatives Awards on Monday, October 29.
Eva’s Initiatives is a national organization aimed at creating long-term solutions for homeless youth. This year, they are honouring Choices for Youth, the St. John’s-based organization dedicated to providing housing, training, and skills development for at-risk youth.
The event will take place at 1:00 p.m., at Choices for Youth – Youth Services Centre, 12-16 Carter’s Hill Place, St. John’s.
– 30 –
Media contact:
Jason Card
Director of Communications
Department of Transportation and Works
709-729-3015, 699-0470
jasoncard@gov.nl.ca
Port Blandford was host to workshops and discussions surrounding housing needs in the province this week, as the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing and Homelessness Network (NLHHN) held its third annual conference. The Honourable Paul Davis, Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC), took part in the discussion and congratulated participants from across Newfoundland and Labrador for their contributions.
“It is very valuable to have people from so many different regions coming together to discuss the unique challenges they face in their areas with housing and homelessness,” said Minister Davis. “Our government’s ongoing work with the people who are living and working with this important issue will help improve our policies and programming. Their work is beneficial to many, and their input is essential.”
The NLHHN was created to bring together community-based service providers, municipal, provincial, and federal departments and agencies, and representatives of persons at risk of homelessness, who are committed to working collaboratively on issues related to homelessness and housing.
Since 2009, the Provincial Government has provided $337,500 to the NLHHN through the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation’s Provincial Homelessness Fund and Supportive Living Program. Part of this investment will enable the NLHHN to develop a training and social enterprise centre in St. John’s, which will be used to raise awareness and promote skills development throughout the province with respect to housing and homelessness issues.
“We were delighted to welcome Minister Davis as the new Minister Responsible for Newfoundland and Labrador Housing,” says Sheldon Pollett, Co-chair of the NLHHN. “Newfoundland and Labrador Housing has been a pillar of support for the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing and Homelessness Network, and we look forward to working together in our common cause of fighting homelessness and poverty in the province.”
Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation is an active participant in the NLHHN conference, in keeping with the goals of the Provincial Government’s 10-year Provincial Social Housing Program – Secure Foundations, released in August 2009. One of the strategic directions of the plan emphasizes the importance of community-based groups and government partners working together.
– 30 –
Media contacts:
Jason Card
Director of Communications
Department of Transportation and Works
709-729-3015, 699-0470
jasoncard@gov.nl.ca
Jenny Bowring
Manager, Communications
Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation
709-724-3055
jmbowring@nlhc.nl.ca
The Honourable Paul Davis, Minister Responsible for the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC), will bring greetings at the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing and Homelessness Network’s Annual General Meeting, tomorrow (Wednesday, October 24).
The event will take place at 8:45 a.m., at the Terra Nova Resort in Port Blandford.
– 30 –
Media contacts:
Jason Card
Director of Communications
Department of Transportation and Works
709-729-3015, 699-0470
jasoncard@gov.nl.ca