Found in the Storm: REST Centres Participates in “Will Poverty End With Us?” Poster Fair

The Black Youth Journey through Homelessness and Relief through Culture Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

Artist: Mya Moniz, Peer Support Leader, REST Centres 

 Here sits a Black youth in a thunderstorm, lost and confused until a Black service provider from REST Centres comes to shield them from the elements. The youth seek respite, restoration, and rejuvenation under the protection of the umbrella as they soak in the fact that they no longer have to navigate the storm alone.  

The Looming Clouds of Youth Homelessness showcase the main streams through which Black youth enter homelessness: immigration, ageing out of the foster care system, institutionalization into the criminal justice system, and family breakdown through tragedy or dysfunction. Black youth are disproportionately represented in youth homelessness, and these reasons overwhelmingly explain why. 

 The Lightning Strikes of Systemic Issues represent the numerous systemic issues that trap youth within the homelessness cycle, making it increasingly difficult to escape. Unaffordability and inflation, poverty, racial, ageist, and cultural discrimination, systemic racism, and the failure of the social systems designed to combat these issues all perpetuate youth homelessness by making it harder to navigate.  

The Pouring Rain of Barriers embodies the daily struggles that Black youth face while experiencing homelessness. The rain features different messages of struggle born from stereotypes, stigma, and discrimination. Closer to the umbrella features stereotypical labels that Black youth have been called by prospective landlords, service providers, and other community members. These phrases were crafted through a mix of lived experience by the artist and consultation with REST Centres’ case managers and housing coordinators, who work with clients on a daily basis. 

 The Umbrella of Hope illustrates how REST Centres Shelters Dignity through a community-based, culturally sensitive strategy to connect homeless and at-risk kids in households with landlords acting as bridge builders, with the support of dedicated staff who directly or indirectly experienced homelessness. Through its four-pillar approach of shelter, living, healing, and growing, REST offers diverse programming aimed at providing a positive transition for youth leaving the shelter and care systems, with the goal of preventing homelessness and providing youth with the support they need to reach their potential.  

On June 6th, 2023, REST Centres attended Will Poverty End with Us? A Call to Collective Action, a one-day summit hosted by the Peel Poverty Reduction Committee. Together with service providers, government bodies, and community advocates from across Peel Region, REST Centres assessed the current state of poverty in the Region and engaged in solution-oriented discussion to build better solutions for all. The summit focused on a number of poverty-adjacent issues currently and historically prevalent in Peel Region: Housing, Income Security, Employment, and Food Security. REST’s Executive Director & Founder, Dagma Koyi, spoke on the Housing discussion panel about the plights of Black youth homelessness in Peel and the complex hurdles Black youth overwhelmingly face.  

REST also participated in the summit’s poster fair, an opportunity to highlight the intersection of various, complex issues with poverty. As the only Black-led, Black-serving, Black-focused (B3) not-for-profit organization in Peel Region, we seized the opportunity to showcase the unique realities of Black youth experiencing homelessness.

Mya Moniz, Peer Support Leader with REST Centres, standing with the poster at the "Will Poverty End with Us? A Call to Collective Action" poster fair. 

Our poster, titled “The Black Youth Journey through Homelessness and Relief through Culture Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”, focuses on the endangered journey of Black youth in the Peel Region in their quest for dignified shelter for stable living and growth. It highlights the specific challenges faced by this demographic, emphasizing the intersectionality of poverty, cultural diversity, equity, and inclusion.  Through examining the unique barriers and journeys of Black youth experiencing homelessness, the poster promoted understanding, empathy, and action in addressing these systemic issues.

This holistic support enables the youth to transform, develop, and transition to contribute to society. Presenting the trajectory and trials that are unique to Black youth in the housing sector with a focus on poverty, diversity, equity, and inclusion, REST compliments the effort of the Peel region and other meaningful conspirators to address anti-Black racism and anti-oppression in the housing sector.  

Through REST's application of a lived-experience approach, we demonstrated the journey of Black youth navigating homelessness and our innovative intervention in promoting a comprehensive approach that addresses poverty and systemic discrimination from diversity, equity, and inclusion perspectives. We are glad to mention that the presentation stimulated participants’ interest in prioritizing actions, resource mobilization, and related support for interventions that seek to eliminate homelessness among Black youth. 

Will Poverty End With Us? A Call to Collective Action was a powerful, insightful, and inspiring summit that REST Centers is honoured to have been a part of. We are dedicated to the fight against poverty in Peel Region, and we will stand tall and proud in the face of any storm to come to shelter the dignity of the youth in our care. 

Thank you for joining us on this journey of compassion, understanding, and resilience that promotes sheltering for dignity. 

Acknowledgements 

Dagma Koyi (CEO, REST)

Dr. Ben Bempah (Operation Director, REST) 

Nikima Leslie (Program Manager, REST) 

Mya Moniz (Peer Support Leader, REST) 

Marjaan McDonald (Community Outreach Worker, REST) 

Daniele Zanotti (Co-Chair, Peel Poverty Reduction Committee) 

Jason Hastings (Co-Chair, Peel Poverty Reduction Committee) 

Sean Baird (Commissioner of Human Services, Region of Peel) 

Aileen Baird (Director of Housing Services, Region of Peel)