Nearly two years after the adoption of new provisions in the Youth Protection Act which provide for a better transition to adult life, the application of this law is variable, note the organizations that work with youth. young people on the ground.
“Has the Law had any effect? Maybe for some people, but we don’t see it. Not yet,” says Marie-Noëlle L’Espérance, director of the Dans la rue day center, which welcomes young people experiencing homelessness in Montreal. She recognizes that the will is there and that there are several interesting initiatives that have emerged, but she notes that there are still as many young people in her organization who have gone through the youth centers.
And although the Law now requires the DPJ to “take measures to facilitate the transition to adult life for young people under the age of 26”, they do not always want to take advantage of them, observes Mme Hope.
“The youth center is such a restrictive living environment; [quand ils sortent], young people have an urgency to live. So, when we offer them a framework with support, [certains jeunes] will reject it, particularly among young people who have had a more difficult journey. »
At the Youth Shelter, which helps young men experiencing homelessness, we do not see any significant difference there either for the moment. “As the crow flies, there is perhaps a slight decline,” observes the general director, France Labelle, who nevertheless repeats that “prolonged support when leaving youth centers is beneficial in order to avoid direct entry in homelessness.
Support and autonomy
In community transitional accommodation resources, which welcome many young people upon leaving youth centers, the effect of the changes to the Act is much more felt.
“There has been a big difference over the past year, a year and a half. Young people prepare their departure much better,” explains Sébastien Lanouette, director of the Auberge du Coeur Ressources Jeunesse in Saint-Laurent. “Before, what we often saw was that young people left the DPJ without a plan. They didn’t even know about the programs that existed and ended up on the streets, and then they ended up coming back to us. »
Others were preparing their departure the day before. “They called us in a hurry, saying: “I have to leave my youth center tomorrow.” And if we didn’t have a place at that precise moment, the young person didn’t know what to do and would go into the street, which is absurd. Now, we are really more capable of preparing for their stay. »
There has been a big difference over the past year, a year and a half. Young people prepare much better for their departure.
Several young people will even come and visit the resource with their counselor to familiarize themselves with the place. “It sounds silly, but it’s a huge change. »
But even if they have a plan, young people must be equipped to fend for themselves in life. “That is the element on which we do not see any improvement,” laments Mr. Lanouette. “Young people ask us to go to the toilet, they don’t know how to boil water to make pasta, they don’t know how to organize themselves in real life. That, in my opinion, is a huge scandal. »
Communications
The new law also allows DPJ employees to share certain confidential information with the workers who take over in transitional accommodation resources.
“It gives us additional leverage,” explains Jean-Sébastien Renaud, director of the Mirabel multi-service accommodation center. This allows us to have an overall portrait of the young person, to know where they come from and where they have ended up. We don’t start from scratch. »
Except that here again, Mr. Renaud notes that this provision of the law is applied with variable geometry. “Since the last year, we have seen positive effects, but less than we would have thought. In the sense that we really have better collaboration with the different stakeholders, but not with everyone. I don’t know if it’s the memo that didn’t get through or if there are ways of doing things that are more difficult to change among certain stakeholders. »
An observation shared by François Soucy, director of Maison Richelieu in Quebec, which welcomes young girls aged 12 to 17. “We realize that on paper, it’s beautiful, it’s written, but on the ground, it’s not yet a given. »
The national director of youth protection, Catherine Lemay, recognizes that the modifications to the Act concerning the transition to adult life are still applied “in variable geometry”. However, she assures that everything is in place for it to anchor itself in the reality on the ground, but that time must be given.