About Us

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Since 1987 Youth Haven Barrie has worked diligently towards providing homeless and abused youth between the ages of 16 and 21 with the love, support and life skills needed in order to foster our youth’s sense of well-being and security. For over 20 years we have made an important impact on the lives of hundreds of teens a year offering them not only a safe place to stay, but the hope that comes from embracing a life full of possibilities and potential armed with the skills and support systems that we offer.

As Simcoe County’s only youth shelter, Youth Haven provides a second chance to approximately 1000 teens annually. Some people believe that many of these kids should simply go home, that they have a safe place awaiting them with a warm bed, or that they are rebelling against parental authority. However in our 20 years of experience we know that this misconception cannot be further from the truth.

The plain truth is that if a youth is staying at Youth Haven they truly have nowhere else to go. In fact, 80% are fleeing domestic violence, neglect, physical or sexual abuse. Numerous situations arise where police officers, parents, concerned citizens, teachers or guidance counselors refer youth to our shelter asking for our help, not knowing where to turn.

In 2007 we celebrated our past, commemorating our 20 years of service with One Enchanted Evening, our masquerade gala. 2010 marked a milestone in our operations as we acquired a 20 bed facility, looking to the future by focusing on the development of new programs and initiatives.

Thanks to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the generosity of our Capital Campaign supporters (The Optimist Club of Barrie, the Rotary Club of Barrie, The Rotary Club of Barrie-Huronia, Barrie Southmedic, Barrie Vascular Imaging, the Kiwanis Club of Kempenfelt Bay, Dr. Sandy and Lisette McDonald, Dino Melchior, Premier Van Lines, Cube-it Storage, the Home Depot, Leons Home Furnishings) and the ongoing support of The Ontario Trillium Foundation and the County of Simcoe we will witness the growth and success of each teen that uses our services. As we see each of our teens embark on their life journey armed with the skills, support and most importantly love that they need, we know that we are doing our job to heal teen homelessness.