Making the Shift (MtS) is a multi-year, multi-phase project, with many moving parts. But it is more than that; Making the Shift is a reimagining of our response to youth homelessness through social innovation in order to ensure the best possible outcomes for young people. Making the Shift is a partnership between A Way Home Canada (AWHC) and the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness (COH) with the support of MaRS Centre for Impact Investing (MaRS).

This work is intended to support a monumental shift away from the current system of responding to youth homelessness through a crisis response and instead, move towards a system that values prevention and moving young people out of homelessness quickly, with all of the supports necessary for wellness and healthy transitions to adulthood. It is crucial to understand that obtaining housing for vulnerable young people is not the “be-all-end-all” of this work – rather, it’s about supporting and encouraging young people to become healthy adults at their own pace. This is how we will make real, lasting change. 

To read the complimentary report, Funding Services for Homeless Youth in Canada: Review and Recommendations, click here.