A Q&A with YSM Manager of Housing Services Kristin Booy about the work of Yonge Street Mission’s Housing team (pictured above)
Q: Kristin, have housing needs changed since you began with YSM?
A: I’ve been with YSM since 2015. I started in Employment Services, and then joined Housing in 2021. When I started, our strategies were rooted in engagement with landlords, to help house mainly youth in more affordable apartments. But now we’re continually seeing that, for many, the cost of rent is just not affordable, even with a job. So we’ve shifted to provide even more support in navigating systems. We talk with many people who are fleeing abusive situations, and we help people who are eligible to get priority status on subsidized waiting lists. Without priority status, community members are currently facing a 10-year waiting list for subsidized housing. We also do a lot of advocacy. We help people know their rights as tenants, and we advocate to housing providers on behalf of our clients. We work with people who are hoarding, with people at risk of eviction. We go with people to court, or to view units, or into their homes. We help youth learn budgeting, what it means to successfully live independently. We help people access and think through the options that are viable for them.
Q: For adults, YSM is also a housing provider?
A: Yes, we have a 3-year transitional housing program, where we are able to offer 26 units of rent-geared-to-income housing. People live at YSM’s Genesis Place to stabilize, to set goals with a tenant care coordinator, and to be somewhere safe while they seek permanent housing.
Q: What do you hope to see happen when someone comes to your team for help?
A: We joke that to work in Housing, you have to be a little scrappy, because it’s not always the easiest field. But honestly, we celebrate all the small wins. Sometimes it’s just helping someone get a couch from the furniture bank, or get their unit free of bed bugs. Or at Genesis Place, I just showed a unit to someone coming in from a shelter with a five-year-old. She was ecstatic to just have a space of her own where she feels safe—where she can decorate and cook for herself. These are huge wins. It’s about accompanying someone through the journey they are on. People need to be able to see a future for themselves, and for their families.
We’re grateful for the support of our donors, the public, and government agencies, all of which enable us to support YSM community members’ housing needs—thank you!
This story originally appeared in YSM’s fall 2024 Urban Lights.
