Diversion Options for

Youth Involved in the Squeegee Trade

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee recommends to Council:

(a)the adoption of the report of the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services, subject to amending Recommendation No.(6) by deleting the words "a year" and inserting in lieu thereof the words "six months", so that such Recommendation reads as follows:

"(6)these initiatives be evaluated by staff from Community and Neighbourhood Services and Urban Planning and Development Services after six months and the results be reported to Council;";

(b)that the strategies and monies recommended in the report of the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services be incorporated into existing youth employment programs; and

(c)that the Toronto Police Service be requested to work closely with the Community and Neighbourhood Services Department in the implementation of the diversion options.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee reports having directed that:

(i)the City Solicitor, in conjunction with the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services, be requested to report directly to Council on July 29, 1998, on an effective legal and/or practical remedy to deal with those squeegee individuals who are obnoxious and making a nuisance of themselves;

(ii)the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Emergency and Protective Services, be requested to report to the appropriate Committee on:

(a)a possible partnership with the Partnership Advocating for Youth Employment in operating a vending business for the sole purpose of employing street youth; and

(b)the concept of reserving some of the vending sites in the downtown area to allow persons involved in the squeegee industry an opportunity to enter into a legitimate business venture to gain income;

(iii)the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services be requested to report to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee on possible partnerships with the Canadian Armed Forces Recruitment Offices and with the Toronto Catholic District School Board;

(iv)the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services and the Chief of Police be requested to submit an interim progress report on the success and outcomes of the diversion strategies by October, 1998; and

(v)the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services be requested to expedite the recommendations embodied in her report dated July 9, 1998.

The Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee submits the following report (July9,1998) from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services:

Purpose:

To propose viable strategies for diverting youth from the squeegee trade.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

Funding of $500,000.00 will be required to enhance the Partnership Advocating for Youth Employment to provide pre-employment training and the development of employment alternatives for street involved youth, and to finance new business ventures and to develop effective transition strategies for street-involved youth.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1) Council endorse diversion strategies as a necessary accompaniment to any enforcement strategies that might be adopted by the City;

(2)Council provide $150,000.00 to support the Partnership Advocating for Youth Employment (PAYE) in providing transitional, pre-employment training and in developing an alternative employment and business development program as described in this report;

(3)Council allocate $350,000.00 to support the development of new business ventures and effective transition strategies for street-involved youth as identified in this report, and that emerge as a result of ongoing work by the Children and Youth Action Committee;

(4)the source of funding for these initiatives be identified by the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer;

(5)staff continue to work with the Children and Youth Action Committee and community-based agencies to further develop the alternative employment strategies identified in this report;

(6)these initiatives be evaluated by staff from Community and Neighbourhood Services and Urban Planning and Development Services after a year and the results be reported to Council;

(7)this report be forwarded to the Emergency and Protective Services Committee for information; and

(8)the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

Council Reference/Background/History:

Public concern over the negative impact of panhandling, squeegee practices and other street related activities has been raised by both Councillors and the Police. In response, Council requested that the Legal Department report on the feasibility of a by-law restricting such activities. This report is expected to be brought forward to the Emergency and Protective Services Committee on July13,1998.

Many of the people who would be affected by such a by-law are street involved youth. The Community and Neighbourhood Services Department and Urban Planning and Development Department have experience in working with youth at risk.

Staff from both Departments have been involved over the past months in the Mayor's Youth Employment Summit and in the work of the Youth Subcommittee of the Children's Action Committee. During that period, the Police also held a workshop specifically on the squeegee issue, an activity primarily engaged in by youth. In addition, the former City of Toronto instituted a pilot program last year which was aimed at diverting street involved youth from these activities and connecting them to the supports required to begin the search for other forms of employment.

This report will build on the information available from these various consultations and on the results of the pilot program in recommending strategies to provide alternatives to the squeegee trade for street involved youth.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

A Profile of the Youth And the Issues They Face:

Over the past months, the Mayor's Youth Employment Summit, the Youth Subcommittee of the Children and Youth Action Committee (chaired by Councillor Chow), and the Police sponsored Squeegee Summit have provided opportunities to gain insight into the nature of the problem and potential solutions. In addition, pilot programs carried out in the former City of Toronto have demonstrated some of the prerequisites to successfully redirecting street involved youth.

The police estimate that there are over two hundred squeegee practitioners in Toronto. Meetings with the youth themselves and agencies who work with them reveal that they are by no means a homogeneous group. There are a smaller number who are full-time practitioners. A second group works part time as income is needed, while others are seasonal. Some are truly homeless while others are housed to some degree. Most have a range of personal problems such as drug involvement, difficulty in obtaining identification, health issues and other barriers to leaving the streets.

In a survey of 69 squeegee youth conducted by Youthlink Inner City in early July, 27 identified themselves as not having a place to live, 6 stated that they resided in a squat, and 2 identified themselves as shelter users. Thirty-eight have been charged or ticketed, and 32 stated that they have tried unsuccessfully to get off the streets.

Susan Pigott, Executive Director of St. Christopher Neighbourhood House and Mayor Lastman's Youth Employment Summit Co-chair, identified the complex, long-standing problems that many young people have to deal with, including poverty, lack of education, homelessness, or family troubles. These problems cannot be solved simply by putting the young person in a job. In fact, rushing young people into jobs they are not yet prepared to handle does more harm than good.

The provision of appropriate housing is critical to stabilizing youth. Some youth require short term services which are provided by youth shelters, while others need projects like the Satellite, a winter program targeted to youth who do not traditionally use the shelter system. Some squeegee youth are able to find housing with the assistance of projects such as One Stop Housing, a housing information and referral project which is offered in various youth agencies. Many youth have difficulty both obtaining and maintaining housing, and need an opportunity to develop social, life, and housing skills through living in an environment which includes considerable staff support.

Street involved youth require a range of transitional supports that stabilize their lives, provide alternative ways of earning an income, and ensure that appropriate housing is available. These "street level" supports are currently delivered through outreach, drop-in, and residential programs that link youth to health care, AIDS prevention, substance abuse prevention, identification and health card replacement, counselling, housing, and employment programs and services. The Mayor's Summit participants emphasized, among other things, that these services must be linked as part of a continuum of service.

Connecting these youth to service agencies, existing employment resources or any new initiatives resulting from the Mayor's Summit or work done by the Children and Youth Action Committee is a fundamental building block in that continuum. The next section identifies potential strategies for dealing with the complex issues of street involved youth, and proposes an option for consideration by Council to address these issues.

(1) Potential Strategies:

(a)Enforcement Strategies:

Panhandling by-laws address issues solely from a regulatory and enforcement perspective, attempting to reduce the negative impacts of solicitation and squeegeeing by placing limits and restrictions on location and behaviour. Emergency and Protective Services at it July 14, 1998, meeting is considering recommendations from the Legal Department regarding the impacts and effectiveness of enforcement options.

Research identifies the need for addressing the root causes for panhandling and squeegeeing, and the need for initiatives designed to redirect those who depend on those activities for a livelihood into opportunities to stabilize their life and health if required, and explore alternative employment possibilities.

Appendix A describes approaches in Winnipeg and Vancouver that link enforcement strategies with efforts to deal with some of the root causes and motivations for panhandling, squeegeeing and related behaviours. The recent Squeegee Workshop sponsored by the Police further confirms the value of a comprehensive approach.

(b) Pre-employment Strategies:

The former City of Toronto piloted a program directed at street involved and squeegee youth involving a partnership among Kensington Youth Theatre and Employment Skills, Metro Youth Outreach, Youthlink Inner City and St. Christopher House - Job Corps. The Partnership Advocating for Youth Employment (PAYE) program was an alternative income project for youth aged 16-24 who have had chronic street involvement and were not be eligible for other training programs. PAYE provided 23 youth with alternatives to squeegeeing, panhandling, welfare, and/or prostitution by providing life skills, work experience, and an income. Of those, 15 have gone on to further education, training or employment after the program. (See Appendix B for a more detailed description of the program.)

The initiative began as a pilot project and received $50,000.00 for a three-month period from the former City of Toronto Urban Development Services Department. PAYE has since run two more projects. The total funding for the 1997 was $124,786.00.

(c)Alternative Employment Strategies:

Not all youth completing a program such as PAYE are able to find work immediately. In addition, those youth who cannot be accommodated in the program or are for some reason unable to participate at this time need alternative work possibilities. The meetings with squeegee youth and agencies working with them sponsored by Councillor Chow have been helpful in offering insight into the ideas, creativity, and contributions that youth can offer when given the opportunities. A range of alternative employment and new business ideas were identified, and warrant exploration. Some examples are:

(i)car wash services operated at gas stations or on municipal properties such as parking lots;

(ii)odd job co-ops;

(iii)self employment opportunities or collective work/sales space including any requisite start-up fund;

(iv)community economic enterprises;

(v)youth employed on commission to market energy conservation programs to homeowners;

(vi)poster removal, horticultural or parks related work;

(vii)"Toronto Shines" shoe polishing; and

(viii)self employment options building on the entrepreneurism shown by some of the youth.

Councillor Chow has been actively soliciting more ideas of this nature from concerned and committed individuals and agencies. A fuller list is included as Appendix C.

(d)Other Existing Resources and Opportunities:

Several organizations have participated in Councillor Chow's Squeegee Committee discussions and have expressed interest in collaborating in providing a range of transition programs and services for squeegee practitioners.

The Addiction Research Foundation has expressed interest in providing substance abuse and personal counselling services as part of City sponsored diversion initiatives, while there is a strong commitment within the Toronto District School Board to working collaboratively with community-based agencies, the business community, and the City to address the needs and priorities of street involved youth, provide increased access to existing education and training services, and to develop alternative work-place based training and education opportunities.

The City, through the Homeless Initiatives Fund ($50,000.00 allocation), is in the midst of selecting an agency to operate the Youth Street Survivors Project, which will assist youth who live on the streets to get and keep housing through the provision of intensive individual supports. Staff are currently choosing a lead agency to work with the City in developing and implementing the shelter/housing project at 11 Ordnance, a municipally owned site located in the Trinity Niagara Ward. This project will focus on homeless young men and women ages 18-24, who have demonstrated interest in developing housing skills, and could be accessed by squeegee practitioners who meet that criteria.

The construction that will take place at 11 Ordnance will provide an excellent opportunity for street youth to gain employment and construction trade skills, and PAYE agencies are extremely interested in working with the building contractors to facilitate job training placements for street youth.

Youthlink Inner City is currently piloting a youth centre at Richmond and Spadina, opening July13,1998. This youth centre could well serve as a central access point for street-involved youth in the west by ensuring access to a range of outreach, counselling, health, social recreation, employment training, job creation, information and referral programs and services.

Proposed Strategies:

Pre-employment and Outreach:

As the profile of youth involved in squeegeeing indicates, they are not a homogeneous group. The strategies identified below are intended to address the needs of the most marginalized street-involved youth who have the fewest prospects for becoming stable and finding employment.

The agency members of the PAYE project have demonstrated an ability to collaborate effectively, have developed positive relationships with the street-involved youth in Toronto's west end, and are keenly interested in working collaboratively with street involved youth, partner agencies and City staff to develop effective, integrated pre-employment strategies that provide a "doorway" to other options for street involved youth. Youth Link Inner City has opened a site in the Bathurst-Queen area, allowing for outreach in two of the locations most often frequented by street involved youth.

By enhancing the PAYE partnership, the City of Toronto can contribute significantly to the development of integrated initiatives that enable youth to make transitions from street involvement to stability and employment. The fact that the organizational infrastructure exists along with experienced staff allows for minimal overhead and a quick start-up.

The Department is recommending that the Partnership be provided with $150,000.00 to continue this transition work. The $150,000.00 would support the agencies in providing participants with:

(a)employment preparation training including life skills, identification replacement, conflict resolution training, first aid certification, resume writing and interview skills, and housing search, as well as access to a Counsellor on an as need basis; and

(b)on-the-job training with the private and public sectors.

The key components of the programs include wage subsidies, purchased skills development training and stipends for training participants. A counsellor would support youth on an as-need basis to address personal issues. A Placement Supervisor would be responsible for matching participants to employers and troubleshooting problems that arise on the job.

Alternative Employment and Business Development Program

The development work entailed in delivering an alternative employment and business development program falls into two areas. The first, related to finding work, involves actively seeking out "odd job" possibilities, marketing the services of the youth, providing occasional site supervision, fielding complaints and problem solving, scheduling and support for the youth, collection of accounts and payment of workers. The second, developing business ideas and assisting youth interested in self employment, entails market research, feasibility studies, business plan development, finding self employment training opportunities if a youth qualifies, and supporting youth in managing business ventures.

As well, resources should be directed to enhancing direct supports to the most at-risk youth and linking them to a range of transitional supports that stabilize their lives, provide alternative ways of earning an income, and ensure that appropriate housing is available. The Youthlink Inner City serves as a model to be considered for integrating a range of support strategies.

It is recommended that $350,000.00 be available to support business development activities and transition support strategies developed through the work of the Children and Youth Action Committee.

It is expected that initiatives developed through the work of the Children and Youth Action Committee will serve 60-65 street-involved youth. The minimum level of staff support required to carry out these initiatives will also be determined by the Committee.

Proposals for the use of this funding should be directed to the Department for consideration in the context of other employment initiatives undertaken by the City. As well, staff will approach other funders to solicit interest in supporting this work.

It is also proposed that an evaluation of these initiatives be undertaken by City staff in one year, with a report back to Council.

Conclusions:

The presence of panhandlers and squeegee activities has grown in Toronto, resulting in increasing frustration on the part of some citizens. This has resulted in a call for regulation and enforcement as a response to complaints. Research shows that regulatory efforts are needed but also that they are most effective when accompanied by supportive measures for those who face extreme barriers to leaving the street.

These measures must be part of a continuum that connects youth with services to stabilize their lives; provides alternative ways of earning an income; and ensures that appropriate housing is available. Toronto is fortunate to have a number of innovative, dedicated non-profit agencies willing to assist youth, in partnership with the City.

The initiatives recommended in this report will reduce the incidence of squeegeeing on Toronto streets. However, it must be noted that not all squeegee practitioners will choose to access the alternatives supports, and those who do may be replaced by other youth on the streets. Initiatives to address this are being further explored and developed with the agencies and youth under the auspices of the Children and Youth Action Committee.

It is recommended that Council approve $150,000.00 to continue and enhance a pre-employment training initiative piloted by the former City of Toronto in co-operation with four agencies referred to as the Partnership Advocating for Youth Employment. This approach builds upon and enhances existing programs with proven successes, and allows for a quick start-up without the costs associated with creating a new delivery agency.

It is further recommended that $350,000.00 also be provided for business development initiatives and transition strategies. Staff will continue to work with the Children and Youth Action Committee in refining and implementing ideas as they arise.

This report has been prepared jointly by staff from Community and Neighbourhood Services and Urban Planning and Development Services.

Contact Name:

Shirley Hoy - 392-8302

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Appendix A

Examples of By-laws Linked to Diversion Strategies.

Vancouver City Council adopted Panhandling By-law No. 7885 on April 30, 1998. The by-law was adopted along with the City Manager's recommendations:

"That Council continue to work in collaboration with other government agencies, such as Crown Council, to address both the behaviour (specifically aggressive panhandling), as well as the root causes behind the behaviour, such as the need for food, shelter, and other basic personal needs, as well as the problems of drug and alcohol addictions.

That Council continue working with the Business Improvement Associations, as well as other interested community members, on initiatives to address panhandling, such as Outreach Programs and Public Education Campaigns.

That Council continue to support the work of the Mayor's Coalition in Crime Prevention and Drug Treatment, encouraging collaborative partnerships to develop and support programming to address panhandling and its root causes."

The City of Winnipeg adopted a panhandling By-law on April 24, 1998. On May 1, 1998, Winnipeg City Council made the following motion:

"Request the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg to lead an inter-agency working group to examine the so-called "squeegee issue" and make recommendations leading to a reasonable civic strategy which addresses regulation/prohibition, public safety, employment and shared public space."

The Social Planning Council of Winnipeg convened a Squeegee Task Force that has submitted a report to City Council, which is currently under review. City staff is commenting on the report and preparing recommendations for Council which will come forward on July 15, 1998.

Appendix B

Synopsis of the PAYE Program

The Partnership Advocating for Youth Employment initiative began as a pilot project and received funds for a three-month period with funding from the former City of Toronto PAYE has since run two more projects. The project was staffed by a Placement Supervisor responsible for work placements and a Counsellor who supported participants in addressing issues and challenges such as housing, substance abuse, job maintenance, and a variety of personal concerns.

The program consisted of two components:

(a)four weeks employment preparation training including life skills, identification replacement, conflict resolution training, first aid certification, resume writing and interview skills, and housing search. Each participant was working on an as-needs basis with the Counsellor to address personal issues; and

(b)six weeks on-the-job training with the private and public sectors. The matching of participants to employers was initiated and monitored by the Placement Supervisor, who was available to troubleshoot problems that arose on-the-job between the participant and his or her workplace.

Upon completion of PAYE the participants were ready to move on to the next stage of training or employment.

The PAYE program's intended outcomes were the stabilization of basic needs and the development of a strong network of community supports that would help youth to maintain a street-free lifestyle. The supports that were anchored in the first component of the program were most essential in enabling participants to succeed.

PAYE served 23 youth during the course of the three projects, and 15 youth completed the program:

(a)twelve went on to further training, education or employment after the program. Three of those 12 have gone on to find employment on their own or through their placement, while eight have gone on to the next level of training and on-the-job experience with Metro Youth Job Corp; and

(b)three youth from the session held in May have applied for further training and working with Metro Youth Outreach in the interim.

Of the 15 youth that completed the program, one participant was assisted in fulfilling a professional goal of pursing his National Certification in Personal Fitness Training. One has acquired permanent part-time employment with the Women's Legal and Education Fund; one was accepted into the GED (Grade Equivalency Diploma) program where he will obtain a grade 12 equivalency, and two others are pending the results of applications that they submitted to Serve Canada, a private, urban youth service initiative program.

Although PAYE 'lost" eight youth along the way, four of those youth have resurfaced and are working with one or more of the partner agencies to pursue their options.

PAYE has provided 23 youth with opportunities to weave their lives back into the community fabric. The program included "built-in" community supports through the partnership that staffed and co-ordinated PAYE. It presented a realistic option for street-involved youth to explore alternatives and make assisted choices in moving away from street lifestyles. PAYE has filled an important niche in the training continuum available to youth with significant employment barriers in the City of Toronto.

Appendix C

Employment Alternatives

The meetings with agencies and squeegee youth sponsored by Councillor Chow have been helpful in developing an understanding of the reasons for the squeegee phenomenon and in identifying a range of employment alternative solutions.

Contributors to the Squeegee Subcommittee discussions include squeegee youth, Addiction Research Foundation, Toronto District School Board, Toronto Police, Youth Challenge International, and Youthlink Inner City. The Committee is supported by staff from Planning and Economic Development, Healthy Cities, Housing, and Community and Neighbourhood Services.

These possible initiatives are being further explored and developed with the agencies and youth under the auspices of Councillor Chow's Squeegee Subcommittee:

(1)Soliciting the use of gas stations or vacant lots with water supply to move the activity off the streets. These might in fact offer full service washes. Four downtown gas stations are being approached and municipal parking lots are being examined.

(2)Odd job co-ops as an alternative. The Rideau Street Enterprise Centre in Ottawa is a model that could be explored. Public service types of work such as horticultural or parks related work might be part of this model as well as removal of posters and window cleaning on retail strips. The Parks Department is interested in further exploring co-operative ideas. Youth participants may explore landscaping opportunities or create more community gardens.

(3)Self employment opportunities or collective work/sales space (e.g., crafts, environmental products.) Participants will gain knowledge of environmental issues while maintaining sales of "In Door" and "Out Door" Water Conservation Kits, Blue and Grey Boxes and Composters. Sales can occur through door to door sales, community events and designated and licensed street corners.

(4) "Toronto Shines" trains squeegee people and redirects them into independent shoe shining with City permits and equipped shoe shine boxes, and includes life skills, presentation skills, and money management training. A revenue generating program where merchandising spin-offs can raise funds for a street youth foundation.

(5)Community business approaches through a youth self investment fund to assist youth participants who have demonstrated a strategic vision and have a plan for their own evolvement and future. A $2,000.00 to $3,000.00 stipend will aid participants to secure appropriate resources to carry out their individual or group career option. There will be strict guidelines and evaluation of the participant's plan before the stipend is granted.

The Squeegee Subcommittee's goal is to serve 60-65 youth in the coming months.

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The following persons appeared before the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee in connection with foregoing matter:

-Ms. Karen Positano, Youth Link Inner City;

-Pierre, squeegee youth; and

-Councillor Ila Bossons, Midtown.