Who we help

The short answer is that we help long-term street youth aged 17 – 24. But there is no standard profile of the young people who come through our doors on a daily basis. Their stories, personalities, skills and experiences are diverse and unique to each individual.

While there is no complete empirical census data to draw upon, estimates suggest a youth population on the street in Calgary numbering in the hundreds. ‘On the street’ is defined as having no safe place to live and no legal income. Most young people on the street have experienced foster care at a very young age. Many come from highly dysfunctional backgrounds, lacking the mechanism of a family or other support system. In their world, trust has been destroyed.

The social safety net is under great strain and is unable to support everyone. People slip through the cracks and find themselves in the constantly fluctuating population of the street community. Once on the street, young people are exposed to others dealing with diverse and critical issues such as mental health disorders, unemployment and transience.

Often fleeing from broken support structures, these young people are particularly vulnerable. When traditional support structures have failed, they seek out the safest options they can find. Alternate families and the kindness of friends can be limited, and are seldom long-term options. And because they tend to be the ones most ill-equipped to deal with their situations, they are even more vulnerable to the drugs, alcohol, predators and crime inherent to the street culture.

To survive, the young person learns ways to adapt in order to fit into the street culture. These behaviors, while ensuring survival on the street, are not congruent with mainstream society or the letter of the law, creating further barriers to successful reintegration.

Based on observations made by DOORWAY participants, volunteers and staff, it is consistently demonstrated that integration into the culture of the street has wide and long-term impact for young people. Many remain on the street long after they want to leave because they do not know how to make choices that will help them find a place in mainstream society. Without the necessary information, sustained acceptance and support to find what works and does not, these young people experience a long and costly learning curve to achieve an independent fit into society. They are individuals being offered ‘one size fits all’ solutions.