National Initiative

Eva's Awards for Innovation
Prix Eva's Initiatives pour l'innovation
Learning Community

The aim of the National Initiative Program is to assist organizations across Canada to develop integrated models of transitional housing , employment training and mentorship support based on the Eva's Phoenix program, to help homeless and at-risk youth to become self-sufficient.

The development of the National Initiative Program was generously funded by the Hamilton Community Foundation, and has resulted in the following accomplishments:

1. In the past three years, over 75 organizations have attended tours and information sessions and have accessed tools, resources and free consulting support as they develop their programs. Communities that have been supported to date include: Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Oakville, Mississauga, Markham, Regent Park (Toronto), Peterborough, Ottawa, Halifax and St. John's.
2. A formal evaluation of Eva's Phoenix was completed at the end of 2003 to determine both quantitatively and qualitatively, whether our model helps homeless youth achieve self-sufficiency and leave the shelter and welfare system behind. The evaluation, which was conducted by independent consultants, included interviews with stakeholders (employers, funders, staff, community partners), a review of statistics, a random analysis of case files, and most importantly, extensive interviews with 35 youth participants conducted by peer interviewers.

   Highlights of the evaluation outcomes:

   • 97% of the youth interviewed said that Eva's Phoenix had helped them to stabilize their lives;
   • 84% of the youth we have served had stayed in a shelter prior to living at Eva's Phoenix. After graduating, that number dropped to 32%;
   • 4% of the youth we have served lived on their own at move-in. That number jumped to 35% after the program;
   • Before the program, 23% of the youth interviewed had frequent contact with their family. That number doubled to 46% after the program;
   • Of the youth who participated in the first year of our HRDC-funded employment programs, nine months after completing the program 59% were employed or in school;
   • Stakeholders describe Eva's Phoenix as capable, innovative, well-respected and effective;
   • Overall, Eva's Phoenix was described as a high performance, innovative, mission-focused organization, a leader in its field, and that it can serve as a useful model for other communities.

   For a complete summary of the Eva's Phoenix evaluation, click here.

3. An online toolkit of resources has been produced, which describes the key elements of the Eva's Phoenix program (e.g. the construction training program, the peer mentorship program and the partnership-based model of employment support) including practical tools and information for interested groups;
4. Eva's Innovation Awards, a program sponsored by CIBC is in its fourth year. The goal of the awards program is to recognize the work of groups across Canada that are attempting to address the issues of youth homelessness and unemployment in a holistic way, as well as identifying groups we may be able to support in a more formal way through the National Initiative Program. In 2006, three organizations - SKETCH Working Arts for Street-Involved Youth (Toronto), Broadway Youth Resource Centre (Vancouver), and Mères et Monde (Québec City) were each honoured with an Eva's Innovation Award and a $3,000 cash prize for their exemplary work with youth. In 2007, three more organizations were honoured with an Innovation Award and a prize of $5,000. They were: Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs for the Kelowna Downtown Youth Centre; Saskatoon Community Arts Programming Inc. for the Urban Canvas Project; Les Maisons Transitionnelles 03 for transitional housing and supports to young families in Montréal.
   
   In 2008 three more organizations will be honoured for their work with homeless and at-risk youth. They are:
   • SIDA/AIDS Moncton for the Youth Asset Program
   • YWCA of Greater Toronto for Peel Youth Village Residential Democratic Living Program
   • Coming Home Society for Young Wolves Lodge
   Each organization also received a prize of $5000.

A new initiative that was launched in November 2006 is the national Learning Community. Made up of 12 leading youth serving organizations from across Canada the Learning Community is collaborating to share promising program approaches, and work on other issues of common interest. This unique opportunity sees members of the Learning Community sharing expertise, learning from one another and thereby improving the work we all do across Canada to help homeless youth achieve and maintain self-sufficiency.

Since the inception of Eva's Phoenix, we have been committed to sharing the lessons we have learned through trial and error - and with no road map - with other organizations struggling to do similar work. Through the National Initiative Program, Eva's has successfully continued its innovative work by helping to shape how employment and shelter services are delivered to homeless youth across Canada.

We are very grateful to the Hamilton Community Foundation, the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, CIBC, Raising the Roof, Deutsche Bank and our other generous funders that have allowed Eva's to undertake this important work.

For more information about the National Initiative, or the programs of Eva's Phoenix, please contact:
Rachel Gray
Acting Director of National Initiatives
416-977-4497 ext. 127
rachel@evas.ca