‘On the Horizon’ Blog
The term “social isolation” has become part of our everyday dialogue during the COVID19 outbreak. Individuals have been asked by Public Health Officials to physically distance from one another and consequently, there have been growing conversations online about the emotional challenges of spending so much time alone. For homeless youth, social isolation is not a new experience.
Loss of income. Panic and uncertainty. Social isolation. Fear of serious illness. These are extremely stressful experiences for any person. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of Horizons for Youth’s residents are experiencing these stressors…while homeless. The potential mental health impact of this crisis on our residents is alarming.
Many of our residents were so close to exiting the shelter system and now, their lives have been put on hold. In only a matter of a few weeks, the opportunities they had to escape homelessness have disappeared. They are now stuck in homelessness for an indefinite period of time, which is demoralizing.
It is presumed that the role of agencies that support at-risk youth, like Horizons for Youth, is to help homeless youth become self-sufficient and independent from their family. However, if ‘family’ is framed as a detriment to homeless youth, we may be dismissing some important individuals that can help youth transition out of homelessness
