 |
The kitchen
The dining room
A Safe Place to Sleep
A meeting room
|
|
This service was first made available on December 19, 1993 and provides temporary emergency shelter seven days a week to 20 boys and girls, ranging in age from 12 to 19. The average age of individuals using this service is 16.
The Bunker, as it was nicknamed by the kids themselves, fulfills their basic needs by providing hot meals, a place to sleep, clean clothes and showers - all in a safe, peaceful atmosphere where they have time to think. They can also consult with on-site professionals who are prepared to listen to them, help them and refer them to the appropriate resources. More than 1,600 adolescents slept at the Bunker last year, 155 of which where 16 years old or less.
Youths are allowed to stay at the Bunker for a few days, during which time the entire staff is at their disposal, ready to offer support and a listening ear. Little by little, hour by hour, the lines of communication are established and a feeling of trust starts to build. The ultimate goal of the youth workers is to ensure, whenever possible, that youths leaving the Bunker have a safe place to go.
In late February 2002, we broaden the range of services offered at the Bunker by adding a new program specifically for minors. As a result, they can benefit from extended hours.
By attending to minors at the Bunker instead of the Chez Pops Day Centre, which caters more to older streetkids, our objective is to minimize the contact between teens and young adults and to offer a calmer backdrop for talks between workers and youths. These new services also provide more flexibility in terms of crisis situations (suicide attempts, illness, shock, etc.) which require increased attention on the part of the Bunker staff.
The facilities were also renovated to make them more inviting and user-friendly, thereby greatly facilitating our work with young runaways and their families.
By opening the Bunker at 8 p.m. instead of 10 p.m. and by extending activities into the afternoon when necessary, we have created additional outreach opportunities in a quiet setting where trust is easier to establish.
|
|
