December 23, 1999
To: Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee
From: Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Servicest
Subject: Update on Youth Employment Programs Restructuring and Strategy Development
Purpose:
To provide an update on the youth employment programs restructuring and strategy and on the development of the North
York Toronto Youth Job Corps site.
Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
There is no immediate financial impact related to this report. As directed by City Council the Community and
Neighbourhood Services Department has included the $74,000 net impact in the year 2000 budget submission for the
delivery of the Toronto Youth Job Corps program. The 1999/2000 contract with HRDC will total just under $1,000,000.
The third site development and implementation costs in this contract will not exceed $208,007.
Recommendation:
It is recommended that this report be received for information.
Background:
At its meeting of June 9,10, and 11, 1999, the City Council gave the Community and Neighbourhood Services Department
authorization to transfer the management and administration of the Toronto Youth Job Corps and Youth Outreach Toronto
programs from the Social Services Division to the Social Development and Administration Division. This move was made
to link these programs with existing youth programs in the Social Development and Administration Division such as the
Youth Employment Job Development Grant (previously known as the YECC Employer Outreach Grant) and the Squeegee
Diversion program (SWYM). A Coordinator of Youth Programs was hired in July to provide a management function for
these programs and to develop an overall City youth employment strategy that links these programs together.
This report comments on the restructuring and coordination of youth programs and specifically discusses the expansion of
the Toronto Youth Job Corps program to develop a third site in North York.
Comments:
Youth Program Restructuring:
The transfer of the program management and administration of the Youth Outreach Toronto and the Toronto Youth Job
Corps programs to the Social Development Division has allowed the Department to bring together most of the youth
employment strategies the City is engaged in under the direction of a Program Coordinator. This position is now
responsible for these two programs along with the Squeegee Working Youth Mobilization and Job Development Grant
programs.
In addition to the administration and management of the programs listed, the Coordintor is also responsible for developing
and implementing an overall City strategy to support high-risk youth in entering the labour force. Each of the programs
listed fills a unique role in supporting "at-risk" youth in the process of preparing for employment.
The Youth Outreach Toronto program has six outreach workers who target youth throughout
the City of Toronto who are unemployed and unaware of the services available to assist them. The staff visit the youth
hostels, drop-in centres, housing complexes, community centres, malls and outreach on the street. They provide an
employment assessment and assist the youth in establishing a plan of action. Staff then link youth to the appropriate service
in the community and provide follow-up support. As a result of this service young people in our community are informed
of the array of services available to them at a crucial time in their lives.
The Squeegee Working Youth Mobilization program provides a first step in stabilization for those youth involved in
squeegee activity. For most of these youth a range of supports are required to assist them in this process; healthcare,
housing, links to substance abuse treatment, obtaining personal identification, shower and laundry facilities, employment
preparation, and skills development. The ten-week length of the program is ideal as it is not a long commitment and
provides a learning environment in an area of work that interests them and the financial income to replace the income lost
from their squeegee activity as they embark on an exploration of other options. The staff support each youth in making the
next step to further skill development programs, education or employment. A more detailed interim progress report on the
SWYM program will be considered by Community Services Committee at its January 2000 meeting.
The Toronto Youth Job Corps Program provides a five month employment preparation program for "at risk" youth. It is a
practical hands-on program supporting youth in obtaining the skills required finding and maintaining employment. The
program is delivered in two components. During the first component youth participate in a community work team and
provide an interior painting service to non-profit organizations over a four week period. During this time youth also
participate in employment preparation workshops, receive career counselling and personal support. The second phase of
the program links youth to employers for a 16-week employment placement. Staff throughout this period supports both the
young person and the employer. Youth are often hired by their placement employer, or they find further employment,
return to school or participate in further skill development programs. This program provides young people with a supported
first step into the job market.
To date the Coordinator has begun a review of the service components of both the Toronto Youth Job Corps and Youth
Outreach Toronto programs. A strategy is being implemented to link the Outreach Workers more closely with the Job
Corps program and Squeegee Diversion programs to facilitate a strong partnership. Through this partnership, feedback will
be encouraged between staff of both programs to help address any service delivery issues that may arise.
The Toronto Youth Job Corps program has undergone a strategic planning exercise to address some significant external
environmental factors affecting program delivery. In particular the lack of affordable housing is having a significant impact
on the youth in the program. As a result, stabilization of youth in the program is taking far more time than in the past.
Changes to the program will be developed to provide more time for the stabilization period in the pre-placement phase of
the program. These changes will be discussed and negotiated with the funding partner, Human Resources Development
Canada for the 2000 - 2001 contract year.
The Youth Outreach program will be undergoing a mapping process to identify key youth serving agencies throughout the
City of Toronto. Appropriate links will be made with those agencies the program does not currently partner with to assist
their youth in accessing employment services and training opportunities.
The Youth Employment Job Development Grant requests for proposals have been completed and recommendations
submitted. The Coordinator will develop and implement a review of this grant program in the year 2000. This review
process will involve Youth Employment Service providers throughout the City.
Third Site Of the Toronto Youth Job Corps Program:
At the City Council meeting on June 9, 10, 11, 1999, City Council gave authorisation to the Commissioner of Community
and Neighbourhood Services to enter into a funding agreement with Human Resources Development Canada for the
expansion of the Toronto Youth Job Corps program for the period of April 1, 1999 to March 31, 2000. The Commissioner
was also granted the authority to contract with an appropriate non-profit organization in the Jane and Finch community to
deliver the program in that community.
A Request For Proposals to develop the third site of the Toronto Youth Job Corps program was broadly distributed to
organizations in the Jane and Finch community on August 9th . An information session was held on August 12th at Metro
Hall to answer any questions that related to the RFP package. Representatives attended this meeting from eighteen different
community organizations.
The selection panel was comprised of four individuals. There was a representative from Human Resources Development
Canada, St. Christopher House (one of the current delivery agencies), the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto
and City staff.
Eleven proposals were submitted to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Department for consideration. The key
factors identified in the evaluation of the proposals received were as follows: a history in the Jane and Finch community; a
description of how the organization has effectively met local needs and created partnerships with other service providers to
enhance their activities; experience and understanding of the target youth population; an ability to provide relevant
counselling and stabilization services to the "at risk" youth population this program targets; a good understanding of the
various components of the Toronto Youth Job Corps model and the cost associated with delivering these as well as a
capacity to develop and implement the Toronto Youth Job Corps program in a timely manner at a location in close
proximity to the Jane and Finch area.
Youth Clinical Services was chosen as the successful agency to develop and implement the third site for the Toronto Youth
Job Corps program. This agency has delivered services to youth in the Jane and Finch community for the past 29 years.
The timelines for implementation are as follows: the staff team of four will be in place by the second week of December;
staff orientation, training, and program set up will be completed by the second week in January and the first group of youth
will begin the program by early February 2000.
Conclusions:
As one component to the broader strategy, the Toronto Youth Job Corps program has been expanded to a third site in
North York. Youth Clinical Services has been identified as the agency to develop and implement this site. This site is now
in the developmental phase and should be operational by December 1999. As approved by council, the funding for this site
has been submitted by Community and Neighbourhood Services as part of the 2000 budget process.
The youth employment program restructuring has been implemented resulting in the Toronto Youth Job Corps, Youth
Outreach Toronto program, the SWYM program and the Youth Employment Job Development Grants now being managed
and coordinated in the Social Development and Administration Division. This facilitates a more coordinated and integrated
response to high-risk youth and employment support needs. The Coordinator is actively facilitating a strategic planning
process of each of the programs with the involvement of staff and partner agencies. As indicated in this report each
program addresses a different set of needs and together these programs provide a comprehensive array of supports for the
"at risk" youth in our City. A clearly articulated youth strategy for this segment of the youth in the City of Toronto will be
established in the year 2000.
Contact:
Geraldine Babcock, Coordinator, Youth Programs
Social Development and Administration Division
Phone: 397-1750 Fax. : 392-8492 e-mail: gbabcock@toronto.ca
Shirley Hoy, Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services
List of Attachments: Appendix A - Statistics on the Activities of the Youth Employment Programs
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Appendix A
Statistics on the Activities of the Youth Employment Programs
The youth employment programs operate on the federal fiscal year of April 1 to March 31. Statistical reports on the
numbers of youth served and the outcomes of their participation in each of these programs are provided to HRDC in a final
report that matches these timelines. The information provided below is from the last report submitted which captures the
program activity for the period of April 1, 1998 to March 31, 1999.
As described in this report, the youth employment programs provide different levels of service to a range of "at risk" youth.
The Youth Outreach Toronto program is an assessment and referral program and therefore serves the largest number of
clients. The Youth Employment Job Development Grants program provides funding to youth employment agencies to
implement an outreach strategy to employers in order to link their job ready clients to employment opportunities. The
Squeegee Working Youth Mobilization program (SWYM) is serving youth who require support to stabilize their lives in
preparation for employment during a 10-week intensive program where they are then connected to the most appropriate
next step. The Toronto Youth Job Corps program is a five-month program that assists "at risk" (many of whom are
homeless and living in the shelter system) youth in establishing an employment plan of action and carrying out that plan
with a supported employment placement.
The performance outcome statistics for each program are listed below:
Toronto Youth Outreach:
The timeframe for these statistics are April 1,1998 to March 31, 1999.
· Total number of youth served: 1,154
· Total number of interventions provided by staff: 773
(this number reflects the number of clients that established action plans and were connected to employment, educational or
skill enhancement services)
Youth Employment Job Development Grants Program:
The timeframe for these statistics are Dec 1, 1998 to Nov. 30, 1999
· Total number of youth placed in employment: 1,040
Toronto Youth Job Corps:
The timeframe for these statistics are April 1, 1998 to March 31, 1999
· Total number of youth served: 163
· Number of Youth who completed the program: 127
· Placement Rate (ie. employed, returned to school or
Skill development) 70%
Squeegee Working Youth Mobilization Program:
This program was initiated during the past summer and has not been in operation long enough to produce definitive
statistics. Preliminary results from the first two ten-week modules can be found in the report before you on the subject of
the Squeegee Diversion Strategy.
